//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 - Crimson and the Teleportation Trick 
// Story: Fire and Brimstone, Book 2 
// by BluePhoenyx 
//------------------------------//

Twilight landed in front of the library and opened the door.  “Spike, I’m back.”  
Spike, sleeping on the couch,  snorted and rolled over being woken from his nap.  He started to yawn and stretch.  “Hi Twilight.”
“Have you seen Rainbow Dash?”
Spike sat up and rubbed his eye with the back side of his tiny claw.  “Yeah, she was looking for you.”  He jumped down from the couch and started to walk toward Twilight.  “She said it was important.”
“She was right, Spike.  It was.  Stay here.  If Rainbow Dash returns, tell her to go back to Cloudsdale and wait with Crimson.”  She turned and got ready to lift off before Spike stopped her.
“W-Wait, Crimson?  Like ‘I just stole the Elements of Harmony’ Crimson?”  Spike stared at Twilight as she flew out of sight.  “Great.”  He turned and walks back inside, closing the door behind him.


* * *


Twilight started to fly toward Cloudsdale.  While still in Ponyville, she heard the shouting of Rarity in the distance.  “TWILIGHT!”  Twilight stopped and looked around to see Rarity looking rather anxious and distressed.  Twilight flew down to her.  “Twilight, I’m glad I found you.”
Twilight landed.  “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Rainbow Dash.  She’s in the hospital.”
Twilight looked shocked at Rarity.  “What?!  Come on!”  The two started to trot to the hospital.  “What happened?”
“I don’t know.  Some pony found her laying almost completely buried in solid rock.”
Twilight looked to Rarity.  “You mean buried alive?”
“I think so.  I don’t know.”
Twilight looked ahead.  “How long ago?”
“A couple of hours, maybe.”
“A couple of hours?”  Twilight’s gaze was diverted as she started to think to herself.
“Is it true about Crimson?”
“No, not at all.”
“I didn’t think so.  Somepony as brave and noble as him couldn’t have done that.”
“But some pony knows his magic.”  
Rarity looked at Twilight.  “But who?”
“I don’t know, Rarity.  But we’re going to find out.”


* * *


Twilight and Rarity barged into Rainbow Dash’s room.  Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were already by her bedside while she laid unconscious.  Machines magically pumped purified air into her lungs from a tube lodged down her throat.  Her complexion was pale and lifeless.  “Twilight!”  The girls, in tears, rushed over and gave her hugs.
After the hug, the girls looked to Rainbow.  “How is she?”  Twilight asked.
Applejack wiped a tear from her face.  “The nurse says she’s stable and all, but she jus’ ain’t wak’n up.” 
“Okay, Pinkie and Fluttershy, you two stay here.  Applejack and Rarity, come with me.”  Twilight turned around and started to head for the door.
Applejack questioned her motives.  “Twilight, Rainbow Dash needs us.”
Twilight turned around.  “You’re right, Applejack.  But Ponyville needs our help too.” 
Applejack looked over to the seemingly rushed Twilight.  “Wait, where ya go’n?”  
Twilight turned back toward the door.  “We need to find out what’s going on.”  Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, then turn to followed Twilight.  “Look after Rainbow, girls.”
Fluttershy looked over at Twilight.  “We will.”
The girls rushed out the door with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie in the hospital room to be there for their injured friend.


* * *


Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack asked around Ponyville to find out where Rainbow Dash was found buried.  Finally, they arrive at the location and looked at the scene.
“Will ya look at that?”  Applejack walked up toward a large ditch where Rainbow Dash was buried.  Ponies from all around did everything they could to unearth the buried victim, and the crude yet effective marks all over the ground showed it.  “Whoever did this had to have caught Rainbow first, and that itself is ask’n a lot.”
Twilight investigated the hole.  “You’re right, Applejack.”  
Rarity leaned over to investigate something that caught her eye.  “Girls, look at this.”  Twilight and Applejack went to Rarity, who was standing over a strange burn in the ground.  “This ground has been burned to glass.”
Twilight looked closely at the glass.  “Just like the vault…”
“What?  How’d that happen?”  Applejack asked.
“Whatever it was…”  Twilight stood straight up. “… the ground must have gotten to extreme temperatures for this to happen.”
Applejack looked at Twilight.  “Ain’t this Crimson’s magic?”
Twilight continued to look at the burned ground.  “It is, but something isn’t right.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.”  Twilight turned and started to walk away.  “I just know something isn’t right, but I can’t put my hoof on it.”
Applejack walked up to Twilight.  “It has to be Crimson.”
Rarity caught up to the girls.  "Tell me it isn't true."
Twilight shook her head.  “Crimson was stuck in Cloudsdale for almost the entire day.  He couldn’t have done this.”
Applejack stopped walking for a moment.  “Wait, you’ve seen’em?”
“Earlier today.”  Applejack caught up to Rarity and Twilight as she continued.  “He used the balloon to get up to the city since he can’t fly, and the balloon was floating freely for who knows how long.”
Rarity looked at Twilight.  “I bet he looks fabulous.”
“Actually, he doesn’t look well at all.  He looks badly injured.”
Rarity lightly gasped. 
Applejack turned to question Twilight.  “You said he couldn’t fly.  Ain’t he got wings?  I could’a sworn I saw him fly before.” 
“I’ve seen him glide, but not actually fly - especially not now.  He has gaping holes in his wings that look as if they’ve healed over time.  I don’t think he could glide even if he wanted to.”
Again, Rarity gasped.  “Oh dear.”
Twilight nodded.  “I know.  And he has a lot of fresh wounds that would slow any pony’s ability to travel.  There is no way he could have been in two places at once.”
Applejack looked at Twilight.  “So then what could it have been?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”  Twilight led the girls into Ponyville to try to gather more information on the mysterious activity.