The Crystal Plague (A.K.A. The Residual Journals)

by RainerBlitz12

JournalOne.txt - MO 10/26/2117 10:25:15 PM

MO 10/26/2117 10:25:15 PM

I dunno if it’s just me, but Cloudsdale seemed awfully quiet this morning. There wasn’t much of the usual hustle and bustle you’d expect living up here in Cloudsdale. Not that it was always like this; when I was a little colt, my mom told me Cloudsdale used to be a much smaller town, though back then it was still in charge of the weather within the Canterlot/Ponyville sector of Equestria. It was only until when she, along with a bunch of other pegasi, convinced Spitfire, the head of the Wonderbolts (that was their name a long time ago; now they’re better known as the Equestrian Air Force, but you could still call them by their old name. It wouldn’t matter, anyway) to move the Headquarters closer to Cloudsdale when everypony started flooding in to live in the same city as the ‘Bolts. And then Princess Twilight Sparkle called her over to that shiny treehouse of hers and I haven’t seen her since.

But I’m getting a little off-topic. Anyway, after I got to the Wonderbolts’ Academy (or the EQAF Academy, take your pick) and the morning head count, the instructor announced (rather tiredly) that two more recruits had called in sick, and would not be here until next week or so. She then went on to ramble about a few other things, and our assignments for the day. Wow, I thought. I don’t know what’s going on, but ponies have been dropping off like flies ever since last week! I chuckled in my head. Was the instructor too harsh on them or something, is that why they wanna drop out?

The instructor was done rambling about whatever, and dismissed us to do our “chores”, as I called them. A light blue stallion with a darker blue mane caught up to me and murmured to me, like he was passing along some forbidden secret to me. “Do you think it’s the Crystal Craze?”

“ ‘The Crystal Craze?’ ”, I asked. “What the hay is that?”

“What, are you living under a rock, Rainer?”, He hissed. “It was all over the news for the past couple weeks. How do you miss that?”

“Well, why would you expect me to know that kind of stuff, Rumble!”, I shot back. “You know I don’t watch the news!”

There was a brief moment between us for a moment before Rumble had his final word.

“Well,” He said. “You should. You need to know what’s going on, dude.” He started to walk off to do his own thing. I opened my mouth to call out a “See you later, man!”, but then I caught him being confronted by the instructor, who looked really, really ticked off for some reason; something nopony ever sees...unless that pony is never setting hoof back in the Academy again. Since Rumble was my best friend (and also happens to be my neighbor), I had to get a little closer, but not enough to be noticed, to see what he’s in for.

But I know he shouldn’t be in for anything. Rumble’s a star student! A guy at the top of his class! What could he have done to get the instructor this mad?

“You!”, The instructor fumed. She gets to a point where she’s literally breathing in Rumble’s face. “What do you know about the upcoming Changeling invasion?”

Whoa. I know Changelings are something to be worried about, but those things are extinct! The Mane Six wiped them out a while back. It’s hard to see them coming back again.

Meanwhile, Rumble has cowered back in absolute fear of the mare. “I...I don’t know anything about that, ma’am, sir,” He says quietly.
The instructor is silent. Then her face falls and she sniffles. She’s suddenly on the verge of tears when she blurts, “What? Oh my Celestia, I am so sorry! I know I’m feeling funny, it’s just that I’m - ” She collapses and abruptly breaks into a fit of coughing. She starts retching. Rumble, who’s more horrified than disgusted, backs off, and murmurs, “I think I better go now…” before running off.

Meanwhile, the instructor starts vomiting this black...stuff all over the floor where my best friend was just a minute ago.

I decide it’s also time for me to leave. Something is seriously wrong with that mare.
The rest of the day went on as normal, thankfully. I got home safe and sound (though the flight home was also very disturbingly quiet), and right now, I’m chilling at home, watching a bit of TV before I go off to bed. Hmm, y’know, maybe I should watch the news for once, and find out what’s going on…

[Journal Saved. MO 10/26/2117 11:45:28 PM]