//------------------------------//
// Chapter 27 - Crimson and the Transfer Circle 
// Story: Fire and Brimstone, Book 2 
// by BluePhoenyx 
//------------------------------//

Demi sat up quietly as Applejack and Big Mac finished cleaning up their workspace.  Applejack looked up to Demi and noticed her sad expression.  She looked over to Big Mac.  “Why don’t you get some rest.  I’ll finish up.”
Big Mac handed Applejack his broom.  “Yyyyep.”  He turned and walked out of the barn.
Applejack sat aside the broom and walked up to Demi.  “You alright, suga’?”
Demi looked up at Applejack.  “What an absurd question!  Of course I’m alright!”
Applejack lifted her hoof.  “Now, now.  Just being nice.”  She turned and started to walk back to the broom.
Demi paused, then lifted her hoof.  “Ac…”  Applejack stopped and looked back to Demi.  The purple coated mare sighed as she put her hoof down.  “Actually, I’m not.”
Applejack walked back to Demi and sat down.  “Jus’ because we don’t see eye-to-eye most of the time doesn’t mean we’re not on the same team here.”
“You’re all so…  weak and strange.  How can you be so pathetic?”
Applejack stood and turned around.  “No need to be mean about it.”  
“I…”  Applejack stopped and looked back at Demi once more.  “My brother is right.  This isn’t the world I lived in.  I guess I’m still… Adjusting.”
“Uh-huh…”
“What I mean to say was…  You’re all so nice to each other no matter who it is.”  Applejack walked back up to Demi as she continued.  “Even to a mean mare like myself.”
“I’ll admit you’re a bit to take in at times, but yer not the bad pony you make yourself out to be.  I can see you care a great deal about Crimson and he seems to care back.”
Demi looked away almost blushing.  “That’s nonsense.”
“I’m not jok’n.  Every time he doesn’t see you around, he’s always asking where yer at or goes out search’n for ya.”  Demi looked at Applejack.  “Crimson sees the good mare in ya.”
“And what about you?”
Applejack pointed to herself with her hoof.  “Me?  Well,  you put up a good front, but I think Crimson’s right.  You jus’ need to lighten up a bit.  Yer among friends up here.”
Demi thought to herself for a moment.  “How does he do it?”
“What do ya mean?”  
“How does he trust sompony enough to let down his guard?  To sacrifice himself for their well-being?”
“Same reason you do the same for him - love.”
“Love?”  Demi scoffed.  “That word has no meaning.”
“Sure it does.”  Applejack said while standing up.  “You jus’ don’t know it yet.”  
The doors to the back of the room opened and Crimson stepped out, donning his new armor and trinkets.  Demi took a step forward and stared at their hard work.  “It looks…”  She cleared her throat.  “How does it feel?”
Crimson lifted his hoof as he looked down at the armor.  “Just as it was said to feel - light and flexible.”  
“How is it’s protection?”
Crimson put his hoof down and looked at Demi.  “Only one way to find out.”
Applejack looked at Crimson, then at Demi.  “Now hold on, yer not think’n what I think you’re think’n!”
Demi lowered her head and launched a ball of fire at Crimson.  Applejack stared in horror as Crimson stood in its path of the ball of flame.  It hit the armor and dissipated as the magic was absorbed into the armor.  
Applejack sighed in relief as Crimson looked down at the armor.  “It would seem that it is much better than my diamond dust plate.”  He remarked.
“Your princess spent a lot of time talking with others in the royal house to get this piece as strong as it is.  Though she is ignorant and weak, she seems to know her stuff.  The spellweave designs she showed me were rather impressive…  For an underling.”
Just then, Twilight burst through the door panting.  “There you are!” 
Applejack looked over to Twilight, who looked in grave distress.  “What’s wrong, suga?”
“Temethyst is attacking Canterlot!  He’s using the power of the Elements of Harmony to overpower Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”
Everyone turned to look at Crimson.  He nodded.  “Very well.  I shall go there immediately.”
Applejack lifted her hoof.  “Now hold yer horses.  You’re not totally healed yet.”
“I don’t know how long they can hold.  Princess Luna is hurt and Princess Celestia is barely keeping up a protective barrier against him.”
Applejack got ready to bolt out the door.  “Then there’s no time to waste!”
Twilight nodded and looked at Applejack.  “You’re right.  But first, I have an idea.  Applejack, you get Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.  I’ll get Pinkie and Rarity.”  She looked at Crimson.  “You two, meet us at the train station.”
Demi looked away.  “You must be joking.”
Applejack nodded.  “Yeah, and he’s all banged up.”
“The renewing powers of the armor that Princess Luna showed me should have Crimson good to go by the time we reach Canterlot.”
Demi looked suspiciously at Twilight.  “What do you mean?  I have heard of no such powers.”
“No time to explain.  Let’s go!”  Twilight turned around and ran out of the door with Applejack close behind.  Crimson started to trot, but Demi lifted her hoof to stop him.
“Something doesn’t seem right, brother.”
He looked to Demi.  “What does your vision see?
Her eyes turned white as she gazed into what may come.  “I don’t know.”  She commented in a slow daze.  Then her eyes turned back to normal and she looked at Crimson.  “There has been something going on.  It’s been very difficult to see lately.”
“Troubling.”
“I don’t like what’s going on.”
Crimson took a step closer to Demi.  “Fear not, my sister.  I shall let no harm come to you.”
She stared helplessly at Crimson.  Then she blinked and turned defensive.  “Oh, stop trying to be my hero.  You’re not my savior anymore.  I owe you nothing.”
Crimson put his hoof on her shoulder.  “You have never owed me a thing.  Not then, not now, not ever.”  A pause ensued, then Crimson put his hoof down.  
Demi looked up as she took a sudden deep breath when Crimson turned around.  “What makes you think you can win?  You couldn’t beat him before he was able to properly wield those element weapons.  What’s so different now?”
“Do you not feel it?”
“Feel what?”
Crimson lightly rubbed his hoof on the ground.  “...  Pain.”
“Y-...”  Demi looked at the ground.  “I thought…”
Crimson looked at Demi.  “You excelled in earth magic.  I assumed you felt it too.”
“I did, but…  But I thought it was because I couldn’t see.”
Crimson shook his head.  “No, my sister.  Something is terribly wrong.”  He looked back at the ground.  “Ever since I awoke after the battle with Temethyst, I have felt that my bond with the earth has…  weakened.”
Demi looked at the ground in thought.  “You’re right.  Like it’s... dying.”  She looked up to Crimson.  “Come on, then.  Let’s get going.”
He looked up to Demi.  “You wish to join me?”
“You can’t do it alone.”
Crimson nodded.  “Very well.”  They turned and start to trot toward the train station. 


* * *


Crimson and Demi stood next to the train at the station and they stared off toward the mountain castle Canterlot.  They looked at the strange barrier surrounding the castle, and the ominous storm above it.  Every once in a while, they felt the ground lightly shake with a strange spectacle of light coming from the skies.
“My brother has grown powerful.”  Crimson commented.
“He was talking about some sort of fire from above shortly after we arrived here.  Do you think that’s it?”
Crimson looked at Demi.  “Fire from above?”  After a brief thought, he looked back to the castle.  “I do not know.”
Demi shrugged.  “This is a strange world, my brother.  There is water from above but no ground for it to collect on.  There is that moving light that hides and lets this land turn to darkness.  I have yet to find the ceiling of this place.”
“There has to be since there are the glowing lights in the darkness.  Perhaps those glowing creatures we see down below?”
“That’s what I think.  But they never move.”
“I noticed that as well.”  Crimson started to looked at the clouds.  “Ms. Rainbow Dash was telling me that those swirling things are collections of water.  How can my brother produce fire from water?”
“I don’t know.  I always thought he was talking about that circle of moving light.”
“A wise thought.  Maybe he has not yet mastered that fire from above magic.”
“Let’s hope not.”
Moments later, the girls arrived at the train station.  Twilight, carrying a saddle bag, trotted to Crimson and Demi.  “We’re all here.”  
“Yes, yes.  Now what is your plan?”
Twilight turned towards the train.  “I’ll explain on the way.”  She walked up to the engineer and started talking to him as the group started to walk toward the open passenger car.
Demi leaned in to Crimson.  “Just keep an eye out.  Something feels wrong.”
“Worry not, my sister.”
“Just do it, fool.”
“Very well.”  Crimson said with a nod as he let Demi enter the train car before him.  He waited outside watching Twilight as she finished her conversation with the engineer.  She trotted to the open door and ran inside.  Crimson entered and closed the door behind him.
The passenger cars jolted as the train started to move.  The group was settled in a different car as Crimson and Demi waited for Twilight’s plan.  Twilight entered their train car and walked up to Demi and Crimson to discuss her idea.
“Okay, I told the girls my plan.  Now comes your parts.”  Twilight sat in front of Demi and Crimson as she continued.  “I have been trying to figure out how your binding circles work ever since you told me about them.  I think I figured it out.  At its core, it’s just a form of energy transference.”
“What do you mean?”  Demi questioned.
“Basically, they’re just a simple conduit for moving energy.”
Demi shook her head.  “Don’t be absurd.  It’s much more complex then that.”
Twilight disagreed.  “Not really.”
“It’s a bond with the earth.  We talk to it and communicate with it to do what we want.”
“Okay.  That may be how you perceive it, but just hear me out.”  Demi shook her head and rolled her eyes as Twilight continued.  “It’s a form of energy transference.  The way you two use it is a form of transferring energy that is already in the earth to do what you want.  You can even use it to magnetically float over things or levitate over the ground.  But in the end, you’re using energy already in the earth.”
Again, Demi rolled her eyes while shaking her head.  “You must be joking.”
Twilight shook her head.  “I’m not.  I can’t explain it, but deep down, everything has some sort of energy.”
Demi sighed.  “Get to the point.”
“My point is this - You use a circle of transference on us against Temethyst.”
Demi looked at Twilight.  “What do you mean?”
“If I’m right, I may have a design that can be drawn with your earth magic and-”
Demi laughed.  “That’s impossible.  You can’t use earth magic to draw a binding circle.”
“Yes you can!  Just trust me.”
Crimson put his hoof on Demi’s shoulder.  “Hear her out, my sister.”
Again, Demi shook her head with rolling eyes.  "Fine.”
“If I’m right, this design can transfer energy from certain points in the design.  These nodes in the design allow Crimson to use our energy to battle Temethyst.  It can even be used to redirect HIS energy transference in the ground.”
Crimson looked at Twilight.  “Are you suggesting you can nullify my brother’s use of earth magic?”
Twilight lightly nodded.  “To a point.  At the very least, it’ll dampen it.”
Demi scoffed and looked at Crimson.  “She’s preaching lies.  If she could really do this, then why does she need us?”
“Because,” Twilight answered.  “I don’t know how you can actually ACTIVATE these designs.  That’s what has been stumping me.”
Demi laughed.  “You mean Princess Twilight Sparkle, all knowing and powerful in the ways of magic, can’t use a simple binding circle?”
“I…”  Twilight looked away embarrassed.  “No.”
Demi started to laugh at Twilight “I knew you were a fool, but this is too much.”
“No pony can!  Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can't do what you do.  I have spent day and night with brilliant unicorns to get things to work but we just can’t!”
Demi turned toward Twilight.  “Alright then, princess.  If you can’t even use binding circles, how do you know your circle will work?”
“Well, I don’t.”
“You’re a fool!”
“I have studied every circle I’ve seen any of you ponies draw.  I think I know how they work.”
“But you don’t.”  Demi responded.  Twilight sighed and Demi looked up to Crimson, who was still listening to Twilight’s plan.  
“Princess Twilight, may I see your design?”
Twilight looked up at Crimson.  “Sure.”  She looks at one of her bags and telekinetically levitated a rolled up piece of parchment from her bag and moved it in front of Crimson.  Crimson sat down and unrolled the parchment, then studied what Twilight had written.  Demi noticed Crimson’s expression of pure interest and intrigue and went to look at the parchment as well.  
“Princess Twilight, this is a very detailed drawing.”  Crimson said, still looking at the parchment.
“It’s not even a circle.”  Demi commented as she pointed at a section of the drawing.  “It has corners.”
Twilight nodded.  “It’s actually a hexagon.  Those are the nodes I was talking about.”
Demi looked at Twilight.  “If your idiotic idea works, why not just put one of your little nodes on Temethyst?”
“It’s a matter of will.  He won’t let the energy be moved.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Crimson put his hoof on Demi’s shoulder.  “My sister, even the smallest hypothetical possibility of our victory is better than what we are to face once we get to Canterlot.”
Demi sighed then looked at the drawing again.  “Very well.  I’ll go with your foolish idea.”
“Well, you’re actually not going to be a part of this design.”  Twilight looked back and telekinetically pulled out a second rolled up parchment.  “This is the design I’m unsure about.”  
Demi snatched the parchment from midair and unrolled it.  “This is worse than your other one!”
“I remember Crimson telling me about Temethyst being able to see your visions.”
Demi looked up at Twilight.  “That…”  She looked away almost embarrassed.
Twilight noticed Demi’s uneasiness.  “What’s wrong?”
Demi stood silent for a moment.  “...  That’s something I’d rather not talk about.”
“Oh…  Okay then…”  Twilight telekinetically took the parchment from Demi’s hooves and rolled it up.
“What are you doing?”  Demi again snatched the parchment from Twilight’s telekinetic grasp.  
“From what I can tell, you didn’t like someone using your powers.”
Demi opened and looked at the design.  “Is that what this is?”
Twilight nodded.  “I think you can transfer your powers to Crimson.”  Demi stared into the drawing with a blank expression.  “But I don’t want you to do it if you’re uncomfortable.”
Demi looked at Twilight for a moment, then to Crimson.  After a moment, she put her attention back to Twilight.  “Do you think it’ll work?”
Twilight shrugged.  “I don’t know.”
Demi looked down at the design.  “What do you think, brother?”
Crimson looked down at the parchment with Demi.  “This is indeed an intricate design.  I have never drawn any of these shapes.”
Demi shook her head.  “I haven’t even seen anything like them.”
“Look, I don’t know what Temethyst did to you, but I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”
Demi looked up to Twilight as she stared back in sincerity.  “...  Okay, I’ll do it.  What do I need to do?”
“Can you use your sight at will?”  Twilight asked.  Demi nodded in reply.  “Then that’s all you need to do.”
“I only see things that directly involve me.”
“Then how did Temethyst use your powers?”
“H…  He...”  Demi looked away for a moment as she gulped, trying to get some of her composure back.  “It’s like…  It feels like my soul was violated - like he destroyed a piece of me.  He was like a parasite that attached itself to my soul and slowly sucked the life out of me.  And I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”  Before Demi knew it, she felt Twilight gently wrap her arms around her, holding her close.  Demi looked around, trying to figure out what this crazy pony was doing.  Demi felt  her sorrow and pain lightly lift as well as a feeling of comfort.  
“It’s okay, Demi.  It’ll be okay.”
Finally, Demi’s defensed kick in and she pushed Twilight away.  “What is this?  What are you doing?”
“You looked like you really needed a hug.”  Twilight answered.
Demi stared angrily at Twilight.  Then, she lightened up.  “It... did make me feel better.  Very well, continue with your magic.”  Twilight smiled and gave Demi another hug.  “Your ways are strange, Twilight.  Your ways are strange.”