Fire and Brimstone, Book 2

by BluePhoenyx

Chapter 17 - Crimson and the Magical Explanation

Crimson, making his way out of the Vanhoover, stopped and turned when he heard a voice from behind him. “Where are you going?” He looked to see the police officer pony that questioned him and the girls before. The officer walked up to Crimson. “I said don’t leave town.”

“That was a suggestion.”

“No, that was an order.”

“You do not have the authority to give me order.”

“When I say ‘don’t leave town’ I mean stay in town. Where are your friends?”

“You have no right to keep me here.” He started to turn before the officer pony lifted his hoof.

“Bull hoof I can’t! You’re the prime suspect of a multi murder investigation and the attempted murder of the duchess.”

He turned to face the officer again. “Under Equestrian Law Section 4.8 of the Fair Pony Act Subchapter 1, No pony - Earth, Pegasi, or Unicorn alike - shall be unjustly held without lawful charge.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to charge you with Assault and Destruction of Property until I find the evidence to bring you down.” The officer pony reached and pulled out manicules. “You’re under arrest.”

Crimson shook his head. “I do not have time for this.” Crimson’s eyes and horn lit up as he swept the ground with his right hoof, then he stomped the ground. The earth under the officer briefly liquefied, causing the officer pony to sink knee deep into the ground. As Crimson stomped, the liquified earth turned back into the original solid.

The officer looked down at his legs. “What the?” He struggled as Crimson turned around. “Come back here, murderer!” He started to trot away as the officer continued to struggle. “You cheating bastard! I’ll get you! Come back here!”

* * *

Crimson trotted for hours toward Ponyville through the forests south of Vanhoover. As the light quickly vanished with the dusk approaching, he stopped for a break at a small clear lake in the depths of the woods. Hungry, thirsty, and out of breath, he went to the shores and started to drink from the clear waters.

“How do your travels fair?” Crimson turned to see the robed sage standing before him with a saddlebag over her robes.

“It is difficult for any pony to sneak up on me. You have done so countless times. Who are you?”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“Nor have you.”

The two stood silently for a moment. “The princess is asking for a report on your search.”

“Then tell the princess to meet with me personally. I wish to speak with her.”

“You wish to talk to the princess? What do you have to say?”

“The relics are with my family, as is the young seer.” The sage stood quietly. “Unless I have access to a seer, or some pony who has an idea where they are located, I am afraid that I am unable to continue my search without a lead.”

“You’re telling the princess that you failed?”

Crimson shook his head. “No. I do not fail. I will find them.”

“Very well.” The sage reached back and pulled off the saddlebag. She put in on the ground, then turned around.

“Wait…” Crimson said stopping the sage. The sage turned her head. “You were able to sap the strength from Scorch’s magic. If you possess such power, why do you not stop my family?”

“I have other things to take care of.” She started to walk away. “I think you have this task well in hoof.” And with a few steps, she vanished from sight. “Don’t forget to stop and rest. Keep up your strength.”

Crimson stared in the dark forest as his eyes adjusted to the night. He looked down at the soft dirt to find that the sage left no tracks. He walked up to the bag left by the sage then opened it up to find a small assortment of food and supplies. He turned and looked the last point where he saw the sage wondering what her game truly was.

* * *

Hours passed as Crimson slowly made his way through the forest. The trek was more difficult, and it took a lot longer than he originally planned, but the pesky police officer forced Crimson to travel slower and cautious to keep out of sight. The canopy of the tall trees made it difficult to see the stars for navigation. As he traveled, he started to think about that strange sage. Questions came to his mind - Who was she? How did she dispel his brother’s magic? How did she even know where Crimson was in the middle of the forest? He then came to the conclusion that the sage herself must be a seer of great power. His questions came to a halt as he came to a small clearing. He gazed upon the southern train tracks that wrapped around the Smokey Mountain - the same tracks he followed to get to Los Pegasus. Finally, he was on semi-familiar ground. From there, he started to trot toward Ponyville.

* * *

Again, hours passed as Crimson continued his long trot toward the Ponyville Library. Finally, the last turn until the tracks led out of the forest and into the hills. Just beyond the hills was his destination. He stopped for a break and started to eat the food given to him by the sage. He started to think out the last time he ate anything, much less the last time he got any rest. ‘Keep up your strength.’ The sage’s words echoed through his mind. With hesitation, he laid down and closed his eyes to rest a bit.

The sun’s light woke up Crimson. He blinked a couple of times trying to get his eyes to adjust to the sun. He looked and saw the hills in the distance. He stood up, puts the saddlebag of supplies on his back, then continued his trek to Ponyville.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle waited in the library with the rest of the group - Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and the injured but recovering Rainbow Dash. She updated the girls on what was going on - the elements being stolen by Crimson’s family, the fight at the beach, the duchess in Vanhoover, everything. They waited at the library hoping Crimson maked it. The library was a mess with books all over the ground. Twilight went from book to book, trying to find anything that would help them learn more about seers, or something that would catch her eye.

Rainbow Dash sat in a chair at the table in the middle of the room. Cushions padded her seat, allowing for a more comfortable sit. Her injuries were not fully healed, but the hospital released her from their care feeling she could recover on her own. “So the pony who attacked me was Crimson’s sister?”

Twilight, her muzzle in a book, sat across from Rainbow Dash and nodded. “Yep. But Fluttershy took care of her.”

Rarity, looking into a portable mirror and brushing her mane, stood up. “And she saved our lives! She was amazing!”

Fluttershy turned away blushing.

Pinkie Pie, sitting on the floor, stood up. “We should have a party! AWESOME PARTY!~”

“We don’t have time for a party, Pinkie.” Twilight said, tossing the book she was reading on the ground. “Spike, get me the next one.”

“Right!” The tiny dragon climbed up the ladder on the bookshelf and grabbed the next book for Twilight to look through.

Applejack leaned against the table. “An’ how do yall know she’s gone for good?”

“We don’t.” Twilight answered as Spike puts the next book in front of her. “However, the possibility of her being able to swim are slim to none, considering the probability of discovering a large pool of water so deep underground to consider the usefulness of learning how to sw-”

Applejack lifted a hoof. “Okay, okay. I get the point. You don’t know.”

A moment of silence ensued before Rainbow Dash stood up. “We should go look for him.”

Applejack stood as well and got ready to catch Rainbow Dash just in case she fell. “Now hold yer horses. You’re in no condition to be all fly’n around.”

Rarity too stood up next to Rainbow. “She’s right, dear. Besides, if Crimson said he’ll be here, I’m sure he’ll be here.”

Pinkie Pie smiled. “That means we can party while we wait.”

All of the girls stopped and look at the door when they heard a knock. Twilight stood up. “The party will have to wait, Pinkie.” She rushed to the door and opened it up.

“Princess, I am sorry to keep you waiting.” Crimson said with a bow.

“You made it!”

“Yes.” When Twilight opened the door wider, Crimson entered the library as the girls came up to greet him. “Have you met with Princess Celestia?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not yet. She’s been busy. Something about an important trade agreement.” Twilight turned around. “Come on. Let’s all have a seat. I bet you had a long trip.”

The group gathered around the small table in the middle of the room as Spike started to reorganize the books.

Rainbow Dash looked up to Crimson. “How in the hoof did your sister bury me in the ground like that?”

Twilight looked at Crimson. “I’ve actually been meaning to ask you about your magic.”

“My magic?”

“Yes. I’ve made a number of observations about you and your magic and I’ve been helping the Equestrian Magic Research and Development Department to figure out how your magic works. Aside from telekinesis, I’ve only seen you do fire and earth magic.”

“You are correct. That is the extent of my magical capabilities.”

“But we haven’t been able to recreate your magic.”

Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof. “Hold on, I asked my question first.”

Crimson looked at Rainbow Dash, then Twilight. “My people of two major kinds of magic - Fire and Earth. Telekinesis is primarily a utility, and it is rare to have the strength to use it to lift objects heavier than a small table, unlike the astounding power you girls possess. We can generate fire through our own personal energy. Fire can also be generated by the use of rage and anger, which is what Scorch uses and thus his name.” Twilight stared intently as Crimson looked at Rainbow Dash. ”Our earth magic, though exponentially more powerful, draws upon our inner strength and can weaken us considerably without a binding circle.”

“A what?” Twilight asked.

“A binding circle. They are the magical circles we draw for earth magic.”

“And what do they do?”

“They serve two purposes - to enhance the bond from us to the earth, and to lessen the strength that is sapped from our bodies. The earth demands a great deal of strength to manipulate. Depending on what we want changes the type and size of bounding circle. The bigger the circle, the more powerful the magic. They are also more difficult to control and may forego the cast and go straight for the strength sapping. Some ponies have drawn circles so big that their very life essence was sucked from their bodies, ultimately killing them with no effect.”

Rarity looked at Crimson. “So that giant circle all around the Duchess’s mansion…”

“I believe it was a circle used for tracking sound or something to that extent. Since it didn’t require the transmutation or manipulation of the earth, it was safer to use.” Crimson answered. “The building was cut using fire magic and the smaller circle was used to throw the stone wall.”

“So if he couldn’t control the large circle, he would have had his energy taken from him?”

“You are correct, Princess. Then Scorch would have been weak and all but helpless.”

Rarity smiled. “That would have been nice.”

Twilight started to think to herself. “I’ve never heard of such kind of magic.”

“To put things into perspective, Princess, a lot of what you all do on the surface was never heard of from my kind. Your flight, the rain, and more. What we consider second hoof is a mystery to you. It is the same for us.”

Twilight looked baffled. “Good point.”

“So that strange circle that mare drew, that was the binding thingie that had the ground swallow me up?” Rainbow asked.

“You are correct. Considering you were off the ground, the amount of energy used to generate such a spell would have been considerable with out the circle.”

Twilight looked up at Crimson. “Wait, wait. What about your little movements?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah. That girl tried to bite me, then the ground swallowed me whole.”

Crimson thought to himself trying to figure out how to answer. “I suppose a good way of putting it would be… Redirection of generated energy.” He looked up at the girls. “The energy is still bound to us and the movements help redirect the energy to force the earth to do what we want. Without the gestures, it would take a lot of focus, concentration, and a lot of skill to manipulate the earth.”

Rarity’s eyes popped as a thought comes to mind. “Can you make diamonds and gems out of sand?”

Spike turned his head at the thought of a sudden creation of endless food and scampered to the meeting at the table. Crimson shook his head. “I am sorry. That level of transmutation is beyond our power.” Spike pouted and turned to continue cleaning the library.

“But then how did Demi turn rock into sand?” Twilight asked.

“And sand to rock?” Rarity added.

“Sand and stone are basically the same. The closer the elements are to one another, the easier it is to manipulate. Artificially refined material, such as iron, takes a great deal more effort, but the bond between pony and the elements are… muffled, I suppose a good way of putting it is.”

“Muffled, but not muted. Right?” Twilight asked.

“You are correct, Princess. With the right circle, enough energy, and enough skill, one can decompose iron into its basic elements. A lot of the time, refined materials are used as a barrier against attacks.”

“So bending metal like the vault for the Elements of Harmony… It isn’t impossible, just difficult.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Rarity brushed her mane with her hoof. “And what about the beautiful jewelry you made for me?”

“And the ones you had when we first met you.”

Twilight looked at the girls. “I remember reading up on that. Aren’t they kind of like an enhancer?”

Crimson nodded. “You are an intelligent and well-read Princess. Yes, they enhance the potential of magic depending on the stone, the precision of the cut, and the method of enchanting. However, a standard stone can work, but will be rather volatile and may give unexpected results.”

“I didn’t know that part. Truly fascinating.” Twilight said, soaking in as much information as she can. “So when the binding circles turn to glass..?”

“When the binding circles are used, the drawings emits an intense amount of heat that melts or molds the surrounding area around the circle. When they turn to glass, they were drawn in soft dirt or stone.”

“Amazing.” After a brief moment, Twilight stood up. “Spike, get my writing stuff.”

Spike slid down the ladder. “What’s up, Twilight?”

“I have to write a report for the EMRDD.”

Applejack blinked at Twilight. “A report for the what now?”

Spike placed a quill and ink in front of Twilight and she started to telekinetically write on the blank paper on the desk. “The Equestrian Magical Research and Development Department. Warlock Magicrest will want to know what I’ve discovered.”

Author's Note:

Edit: 10/18/2017, quick read through and tense corrections.

Comments

[BluePhoenyx]

Author's Note: Chapter 17 - Crimson and the Magical Explanation
In this chapter, Twilight finally gets a chance to talk to Crimson about his magic - a conversation she's been wanting to have for quite some time now.

This seemed like a drawn out chapter and could have been considered a bit boring. However, numerous things have been explained and may give an idea on how things are done for Crimson and his kin. Regardless, I felt it was a needed chapter. I hate plot holes.

Until next week. Thanks for reading.