Celestia stood atop the castle tower watching the sun close in on the distant horizon. She awaited her sister’s return to raise the moon and wondered where her former star pupil ran off to. She found it shocking and troublesome to learn that Twilight Sparkle wasn't next to her friend in her time of need, and wondered what errand has taken priority over her friend’s support. As the sun drew closer to the horizon, Celestia turned and started to walk down the stairs. The shadows shifting as the light vanished from the sky. The night will be a moonless night.
* * *
The chilling northern air bit on the coats of any pony outside on the clear and dark no-moon night. The cabin’s chimney plumed smoke from the fire in the fireplace keeping the small cabin warm and inviting to the residents inside. In the forest in the distance, two sets of eyes - a yellow set and a red set - lit up, staring at the structure ahead.
The yellow eyes speak a soft and gentle tone. “My Lord, she’s in there.”
A pause as the red eyes glared at the cabin. Then the jet black coated pony stepped out of the shadows, his intricate and embroidered armor flawless, his leather clothing perfect, his mane well groomed, his curved horn glowing and his leather wings tucked in. Behind him, the yellow eyed pony stepped from the shadows with her leather robes covering her dark purple coat and mane. She too has a curved horn and tucked in leathery wings. The red eyed pony took the lead and they start to walk toward the house.
The two got to the door of the cabin almost invisible to the naked eye. The red eyed pony grinned. His horn lit up as he lifted a hoof. The climbing claws on the pony’s hoof turned bright red. Then, the robed pony’s eyes turned white as she took a breath. “Brother?”
The armored pony’s horn darkened as his claws slashed at the door, ripping it to shreds and leaving a purple mist in its wake. Large chunks of wood flew across the room hitting the wall and falling to the floor. Crimson stood in the middle of the room looking at the intruding ponies.
The armored pony lightly laughed to himself at the sight of Crimson as he slowly walked into the building. “My my, if it isn’t the traitor.”
The robed pony, her eyes back to their normal color, walked in behind the armored pony staring at Crimson. “Brother? How did you get here?”
Crimson looked at the two. “Scorch, I am not surprised to see you come.”
“Right...” Scorch started to walk around Crimson, keeping his distance.
“Brother, you’re alive!”
Crimson nodded to his sister. “Demi. I am pleased to see you too.”
Scorch stomped his hoof. “Silence, traitor! You have no right to talk to noble blood.” He looked at Demi. “Remember your place.”
“Uh, yes, my Lord.” Demi’s eyes went from sympathetic to lethal, fixating on her younger brother.
The three stood quietly, looking at each other for a long moment. Scorch lightly paced back and fourth. Demi looked devilishly at her new target. Crimson didn't move from his place, only turning his head to watch the two intruders. The cracking of the firewood popped in the fireplace. Otherwise, just silence.
Demi looked over the once honorable and renowned soldier that stood before her. “You look terrible, little brother. Looks like this world has taken its toll.”
“This world has treated me fair, unlike the world I once resided.”
Scorch took a breath. “Silence! Crimson Thull, I command you to take out your Punisher and redeem your honor by taking your own life.”
“I am no longer your servant of death, or your slave of misery.”
Scorch grinned as he angrily stares. “So be it.” His horn glowed and a whip of fire lashed out of his horn.
Demi’s eyes went white and her expression pale. She jumped at Scorch to grab him, knocking him out of the way as Crimson stomped his left hoof. The entire room lit up, burning the drawings that were strategically placed before their arrival to empower Crimson’s magic. A loud crash was heard as the walls suddenly ripped apart, and two large stone claws made from the ground outside crashed through the wood, lunging to grab the charging pony. The claws miss the redirected attacker and drug everything in their path down into the ground, burying anything unfortunate enough to be caught in their way. The fire in the fireplace was extinguished from the attack as dust picked up, making it difficult to see anything. Wood and other housley materials continued to give at the force of gravity and fell to the ground and bounced off of Demi’s protective barrier, as Demi and Scorch started coughing, trying to catch their breath from the disorientating attack.
“Demi, you fool!” Scorch pushed her off of him. “How dare you not see this ambush?!”
“I’m sorry, my Lord. I-“
“Silence!” Scorch got to his hooves and saw that Crimson is no longer in the room. “Find the seer!”
“Yes, my lord.” She dropped her barrier and stood up to regain her composure.
Scorch jumped over the pit that was to be his tomb and looked outside the hole in the wall. In the distance, he saw the trotting of a pony into the black forest. “Coward!” Scorch ran after him as Demi shook the dust off of her.
Scorch ran through the forest chasing Crimson down. Though Scorch carried a lot of weight on his body, Crimson’s wounds slowed his progress down. Scorch pointed his curved horn at his prey, blasting orbs of pure fire at Crimson. Crimson diverts his path, causing the fireball to hit a tree exploding and catching the tree on fire.
“Run, boy!” Scorch taunted as he unleashed more fireballs at Crimson.
* * *
Demi’s eyes turned white again as she stared off into the void. She blinked and her eyes turned normal and she turned toward the back room. “She isn’t’ here, is she, girl?”
The door opened, revealing Twilight Sparkle hiding. “How did you know I was..?” She looked stunned at the devastation. “Holy hoof!”
“Where is she?”
“My friends took her and her family to safety. You’ll never find her.”
“Silly girl.” Demi lightly lifted her head, looking down at the unknowing princess. “You just don’t understand.” Her horn lit up and a blast of fire shot from her horn at Twilight.
Twilight’s horn lit up and quickly channeled a spell that shielded her of the attack. The flames hit the shield, spreading out around her and catching the surroundings on fire, much like when she first encountered Crimson and his fire magic. Unlike the first time she encountered this kind of magic, she held her ground and felt confident about her defense against fire magic. Twilight stood and looked at the robed pony totally unaffected by her attack.
“You’re new at this whole, ‘fight’ thing, aren’t you? Didn’t even counter-attack.” She whipped her head, unleashing a powerful shockwave of fire from the surrounding flames.
Twilight ducked down, casting a spell and shielding her from the impending attack. The structure around Twilight started to heat up and grow slowly engulfing the house. Twilight just stood and looked at Demi, who was a more than a little amazed her her magical prowess.
“Though I have to admit, your magic defenses are very admirable.” Demi smiled and started to walk toward Twilight.
Twilight tried to take a step back, but felt the flames behind her impeding her path.
Demi’s eyes went white as she took another step. “But your defenses won’t be enough!” She stomped her hoof on the floor, the ground below Twilight started to shift, making Twilight lightly lose her balance. Then Demi lunged her horn toward Twilight and a cone of flame shot from Demi’s horn at the staggered princess. Twilight barely got a shield up to guard against the fire, but the powerful hit knocked her back through the flaming wall and into the sandy beach. Eventually, she slid and tumbled to a stop with a fifty foot sand trail from the cabin to her location. With her coat and mane singed, and slowly recovering from the stunning blow, Twilight saw the red flashes of magical fire being used in the once dark forest as it starts to illuminate from the trees combusting from the fight.
* * *
Crimson ran deeper into the forest with Scorch close behind. Scorch’s horn glowed, charging for a massive attack against the fleeing pony. Finally, Scorch stopped his pursuit and stabilized his position against the powerful recoil from the spell. A huge ball of fire blasted from his horn, causing Scorch to get drug back a short distance. The fireball blasted through the trees Crimson was using for defense and continued toward its target. Crimson looked behind him to see the flames blast through the wood toward him. He gave a little jump, the a huge leap, using his injured wings to assist him to get higher into the air. His horn glowed as he starts to tilt downward. He lifted his front hooves toward the ground to catch his fall. His hind legs whipped around, making Crimson face powerful fireball. As he slid to a stop, the ground started to shake. With the fireball moments away, Crimson let out a struggling growl as he lunged his head up, causing the ground to split. A stone wedge ripped from the earth in between Crimson and the fire. The fire was split in half, going around Crimson, but obliterates the foliage in its path.
Scorch trotted up to the wedge in the earth and the pony on the other side. “You fool. Without the binding circle, I bet that took a lot out of you.”
Crimson looked up at Scorch panting. “I am not through yet.”
Scorch grinned. “Challenge accepted.” With his horn glowing, Scorch swiped some dirt at Crimson. The dirt merged and turned into a boulder that quickly accelerated and hit the warrior pony, knocking him on his back. Crimson twisted his body around and quickly went to his hooves. His head whipped around, causing some of the fire to lash out at Scorch. He just stood there letting the fire hit him. Scorch lifted a hoof and tapped his armor. “You forget about this?”
“No.” With the cocky Scorch having a hoof off the ground, Crimson stomped his hoof on the ground and whipped his head in the opposite direction, causing the earth to extract from the ground and slam into the side of the unbalanced Scorch. He slid on the ground from the surprise hit, but the veteran soldier rolled with the impact and got to his hooves in a heartbeat. Using the momentum of the hit, Scorch whipped his head around, causing the very same boulder Crimson erected to fly at its originator. Crimson tried to cast a spell to counter the attack, but he was hit and again knocked on his back. The boulder shattered with pieces falling all around Crimson.
* * *
Twilight staggerd to her hooves, sand falling from her singed coat and mane. Demi walked casually toward Twilight and stopped before reaching her. “You really are a gifted pony. With the right training, I bet you could have been a powerful ruler.”
Twilight looked at Demi in a daze. “I don’t need training.” Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees. She looked up at Demi with pride. “I have the best teacher in all of Equestria!”
“Is that so? Then your teacher is a failure.” Demi’s eyes turned white. “Farewe-“ Demi’s eyes went back to yellow as she quickly looked to her left. A slight blur of a pony hit her and knocked her off her feet.
“Sorry I’m late, darling.”
“Rarity!” Twilight, given strength through hope, stood on her hooves once more. “Where’s Fluttershy?”
“Her and the filly’s family are safe.”
“Good.” Twilight and Rarity stood side by side as Demi stood from the flanking blow.
Demi looked at her new opponent. “Well now, this just got interesting.”
* * *
“Your magic is pathetic. Without your enchanted gems and your armor, you’re just another peasant waiting to be crushed by my hoof.” Scorch looked down at the exhausted, battered, and beaten Crimson. “You’ve lost, fool. You should have saved me the trouble and taken your own life when you had the chance.” Scorch started to walk toward Crimson. “It would have been so much less painful for you.”
Crimson rolled over and looks up at Scorch. “Never again shall I yield to your will. I am done with you!”
Scorch smiled. “Likewise.” His horn lit up and a whip of fire extended from his horn. Crimson took a breath, closing his eyes, knowing it would be the end. The fire lashed down at the helpless pony when a black whirlwind appeared between the two cutting the whip in half. Scorch leaps back to get distance from the strange event. After the whirlwind dissipates, a cloaked pony stood between Crimson and Scorch.
The cloaked pony looked at Scorch. “So, ‘tis true.”
“You’re a dishonorable coward, brother! You can’t even die in honor or dignity.” Scorch took a step back and looked at the cloaked figure. “But you, you have signed your death note.” He lunged forward, firing a ball of fire at the cloaked pony. Without the slightest gesture, the fireball shrank and fizzled before it ever got close to the cloaked pony. Scorch looked surprised at the display of power. He gave an enraged shout as an even more powerful ball of fire shot at the cloaked figure. Again, the power diminished and fizzled before it reached its mark. Scorch bucked, then stomped his hooves on the ground, causing a wave of earth to ripple toward the cloaked pony, but they just stood still as, again, the magic diminished before reaching its mark. The cloaked pony stood silent, staring at the armored pony. Scorch panted at the figure. “You have a coward’s luck, brother. Until we meet again.” Scorch turned and ran into the engulfed forest.
Crimson slowly stood up. “You… I do not understand.”
The cloaked pony turned around to face Crimson. “It is not for you to understand.” The black whirlwind wrapped around the cloaked pony and the strange sage vanished. Panting, beat up, and exhausted, Crimson started to make his way back to the cabin to check on Twilight.
* * *
The forest behind Demi lit up from the fire fight in the thick. Demi looked at her new opponent. “My, you are beautiful.”
Rarity blushed. “Thank you.” She lifted a hoof and fixed her mane. “I work hard to do so.”
“I can tell.” She looked at the shine her hair gave, even in the darkness of a moonless night. “How do you get your hair to shine like that?”
“Oh. A combination of herbs and minerals and a regular regime of cleaning and maintenance.”
“If you live through the night, you must tell me your secrets.”
Rarity blinked stunned at the remark as Demi’s horn lit up while she bent down. Then she lunged up, causing a pillar of earth to pierce the sand, tossing Rarity and Twilight back and up into the air. Twilight spread her wings and used her magic to stabilize Rarity as they gently fell back to the beach. The two looked at Demi, who took the time to quickly draw in the sand. Before they could react, the pillar turned to dust and covered Rarity and Twilight. The two lifted a hoof to protect their eyes from the gust of sand.
When the sand settled down, Rarity started to brush her mane, trying to get the sand out of her hair. “That was a dirty trick!”
Then, the sand lifted and tried to suck the two down into the ground. Rarity and Twilight acted quickly and channeled a counter-spell, causing a large chunk of stone from underneath them to lift them to safety. Demi looked at her foes. “Clever…” Then she pushed against the ground with her hooves as a spike of stone ripped through the ground, attacking the stone platform the two stood on. While Rarity used her magic to keep the stone stable as best as she could, Twilight used her magic to put a barrier around the two protecting them from the spike. Upon impact, the spike crumbled into sand not even phasing the two ponies. The barrier dropped as the sand in the air collected on the platform.
“Very impressive.” Demi lightly lifted her head and her sand ripped the platform apart. Twilight and Rarity fell and land lightly on their hooves. “Your tactic makes no sense. Why haven’t you attacked?”
“What will that prove?” Twilight asked.
“That you deserve to live.” With Demi’s influence still held on the sand from boulder which the two were standing on, the magic circle under her lit up, and she used the influence of the sand to form into a solid boulder to hit Twilight. Surprised, Twilight was pinned to the ground. Demi twisted her hoof and the stone merged with the sand, trapping her on the ground. Rarity looked over at her friend when she was taken by surprise as Demi pounced Rarity, pinning her on her back.
Twilight tried to get up but remained pinned. “Where did that come from?”
“I was drawing it while you were on your pathetic rock. Now with regret, my pretty…” Demi grabbed a decorated knife from under her cloak and pressed it against Rarity's neck. “We won’t be able to trade beauty secrets.” Suddenly, Demi was lifted off the ground.
“How dare you hurt my friends!” Fluttershy started to carry the sorceress off shore over the ocean.
Demi dropped her blade and, in horror, tried to reach up to grab Fluttershy, as to not fall in the dark void of water. Demi’s eyes turned white as she stared at the water. Then, Demi gave a high pitched scream, “Noooooo!!!” Fluttershy let go, and she started her fall into the water. With a loud splash, Demi vanished into the abyssal depths.
Fluttershy flew back to the shore and landed next to Rarity. “Rarity, are you two okay?”
Rarity stood coughing and Twilight struggled to get out of the stone entrapment. “I’m fine, darling.” She leaned her head down and used her magic to weaken the foundation of the stone trap. Twilight twisted and broke her encasement.
Fluttershy helped Twilight up. “Are you okay, Twilight?”
“Yeah.” Twilight looked at her yellow coated pegasus friend. “Fluttershy, you saved our lives.”
Fluttershy looked down and away blushing. “Oh, it was nothing.”
Rarity put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Nothing? Oh, come now, darling. Don’t be so modest.”
Fluttershy looked up and smiled and the girls hug each other.
Twilight looked at the forest fire. “Come on. We have to help Crimson. He may be in trouble.”
The girls turned and started to charge into the blaze before a pony walked out of the inferno. The three stopped and prepare to defend themselves.
Twilight noticed the silhouette wasn't as bulky as Scorch’s, then came to the conclusion who it was. “Crimson!” The girls dropped their guard and ran to meet him mid-way.
Rarity cheered in excitement. “Crimson, darling. You’re okay!”
Fluttershy briefly looked over the injuries. “He looks even more terrible than before.”
Crimson staggered and started to collapse, but was caught by the girls before he came close to hittng the ground. “Poor dear.”
After getting him secured, Twilight looked at Fluttershy and Rarity. “Come on, girls. Let’s get him to the hospital.”
“What about the forest?” Fluttershy looked at the inferno slowly engulfing the forest. “We have to help the poor, defenseless animals.”
The weak Crimson barely lifted his head. “Scorch… He is still out there.”
Twilight looked at Crimson. “Well that settles it. We have to get out of here.”
Fluttershy looked upon the blaze. “But the animals…”
“Fluttershy, the weather pegasi will handle the fire. Now, we have to go.”
The girls worked together to get Crimson to safety.