Fire and Brimstone, Book 2

by BluePhoenyx

Chapter 29 - Crimson and the Magic of Void

The rain splashed down on Princess Luna's coat as her and Celestia took a moment to recover from the extreme magical strain the two had endured. The cold water felt good on her coat as each drop of rain sizzled against her overheated skin.

"It looks like every pony is recovering," Celestia commented when she surveyed the field.

"And thy ground hast been mended." Luna slowly stood up, and the sisters looked toward the hill. Her face turned grim and angry.

"I know," Celestia said, reading the expression on her sister's features. "We must trust them while we regroup." She turned to her sister and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Come. Let us help the troops."

Luna, still staring at the hill, nodded, then turned to assist her sister.

* * *

Crimson stood fearlessly at the taller, more powerful Temethyst. His horn glowed brighter as more rain fell from the sky.

"Come, Ebon Commander. Let us put your powers to the test." The mighty King lifted a hoof and stomped the ground, splashing the mud around his hoof. Chunks of rock started to come from the ground to circle Temethyst in a counter orbit from the tainted elements. While his hoof was anchored, he punched out with his other hoof, launching the rocks toward Crimson. In midair, they merged and morphed into a huge, crushing boulder. Before the boulder hit Crimson, it slowed, then fell harmlessly to the ground next to Temethyst, sinking half way into the earth. Crimson stood still and silent against the attack, almost as if he didn't do anything.

The King smirked. "You have grown more powerful than the last time we sparred." He started to walk forward toward Crimson.

"Do not think you can prevail," Crimson said.

The King paused, then scoffed. "Don't think you can win against my overwhelming power, weakling." Again, he started to walk forward, as his horns glowed a bright red.

"Your magic will not have an effect on me."

The King stopped at that comment. "Truly?" He mocked. Then, he took a deep breath and blew out a cone of blue flames. The flames engulfed Crimson, then started to swirl around him. A tornado of blue fire formed, with Crimson in the middle. Then, it shrunk and vanished, being sucked into the armor Crimson wore. "Interesting."

"This is your last chance to surrender," Crimson said. "For the last time, I implore you to stand down."

Temethyst observed the strange warrior pony for a moment, wondering what his game was. "Perhaps," he mused. "Your goddesses have failed. Perhaps I shall play with you a little longer, boy." His horns and eyes burst in bright light as he stomped both front hooves on the mud. A moment of pause with only the rain making a noise. Then, the earth split and twisted, bending to the mighty King's will. Lava started to shoot from the cracks that formed in front of the king. Then, to his surprise surprise, the ground started to close once more. The king stood up straight and looked at the muddied earth in confusion. Then, his lips broken in a smile. He chuckled as he began to understand as he noticed the hidden magic diminishing circle he stood in. "Clever." He looked back to Crimson with an amused expression on his face. "Very clever. No more stalling." He started to walk forward to leave the circle he was lured into.

"You have chosen your fate, brother. For what it is worth, I am sorry."

"As you should be." Temethyst punched the ground, then bit the air toward Crimson. A snake of stone pierced through the ground and lashed out at Crimson with an opened maw of mud and mush. Then, Temethyst's horns glowed. The snake's eyes lit up a bright red, and a light from deep down the snake's throat illuminated in a yellow to red gradiant.

Crimson leapt back, avoiding the stone bite. He wasn't able to defend himself against the sudden breath of flames that spewed out of the snake's mouth, and he was struck hard with heat and flames. The pain was brief as the armor did its trick, but the falling rain was the key, in the flames vanished into steam as they hit him. He stood up, then leapt forward and slashed at the snake. With seemingly little effort, the stone reptile exploded in a fireball with mud splashing in every direction.

The King laughed out loud at the outcome of his attack. "I see." He looked up at the sky. "This water magic weakens our magic. Very effective."

Crimson's game was up. With the mud loosening the bond between pony and earth, and the falling water helping to extinguish any fire magic used, he knew that the conflict would come to physical blows. He flexed his hooves, ready to engage. He just hoped the preparations would be enough to fight back against such a large and overpowering opponent. More so, he was wondering what was taking so long for his friends to act.

"Lets see if your pathetic defenses can hold up against THIS!" King Temethyst reached his hoof up as the tainted elements pulsed. They were connected with a dark ring of mist as the hoof swung down hard, slamming into the ground. A black whip formed from between the King's horns, and slashed downward toward Crimson.

In surprise, Crimson leapt to the side at the ferocious attack. The ground split at the power of the attack, creating a deep line to stretch from the point of impact all the way back to the King. Black tendrils reached from the whip and grabbed Crimson before he could recover from the sudden dodge. He shouted in pain as the tendrils pulsed dark magic. He felt a strange, cold bite of the grasping tendrils. He struggled to stay on his hooves at the strange and unknown attack, but felt it was going to be a futile effort as his strength was being sapped from his body.

Temethyst laughed as Crimson fell to his knees, weak and helpless against the powerful magical leash that was wrapped around Crimson.

* * *

Twilight, who stayed hidden from the battle near the bottom of the hill behind some rocks, stared in shock and horror at the dark whip attack used by Temethyst. "Oh no," she gasped. Then, she noticed something even worse. She put her back against the boulder, nearly hyperventilating from the bad news. She leaned over and caught the attention of Rarity, who was standing near her. "The circle is broken," she whispered.

Rarity looked at the circle through her illusion, then turned to face Twilight. "What do we do?" She cringed at a painful sound from Crimson hit her ears.

Applejack, who was on the opposite side behind a bush, looked out of her cover. "We have to help him!"

Twilight peeked her head around the boulder to view the scene of the fight. "We can't. At least, not directly. This isn't another rock we could slow down." She paused a moment at that comment, then looked at Rarity. "I have an idea. Follow my lead."

* * *

Crimson put his hoof on the wet ground, trying desparately to gain some sort of strength to fight back. To his dismay, he found that he had no control over his body. He fell to the wet, muddy ground in a splash. He saw something glow from the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze, then widened when he saw the large boulder that was thrown at him earlier lift from the ground. Before he could finish registering what was going on, the boulder slammed into the King, making him lose focus on his spell and to take a large, wide step to keep his balance. The black tendrils vanished in a blink of an eye, and the pain that was tearing Crimson apart subsided. He felt his body tingle and strength return to his hooves in a strange, albeit pleasant, sensation.

"You still control the earth under such pain?" The King asked. "How you have grown in short time. It is a shame I have no use for someone as weak as you." The King swiped at the ground, splashing water with his movements. His horns glowed as he again attacked Crimson.

* * *

"Why isn't using the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight questioned when she saw a wall of earth build up from behind Crimson. She and Rarity leaned down with glowing horns. The wall fell on top of Crimson before he could even stand, burring him in stone and mud.

Twilight heard the king give a laugh, then her and Rarity hid behind their covers as the King turned around.

"Where the hoof is Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Twilight answered. "Pinkie Pie and Applejack are in position. Rainbow Dash is taking care of the rain, and will be here on my signal. Demi is waiting on us, and we are waiting on Fluttershy." She peeked her head back at the field, noticing the King starting to return to the hill toward the castle. "Oh no! He can't leave the circle!"

"Should we attack?" Applejack asked.

Twilight went back to her cover. Her eyes darted back and fourth, looking for an answer. She looked back at the field, desperately searching for a way to make the mighty king stop his leave.

* * *

The mud and stone around Crimson exploded as he felt his strength fully returned to his body. The King paused, then turned around to see Crimson standing up, the rain slowly removing the dirt from his armor.

"How dare you live?" His attention was fully back to Crimson as the Elements of Harmony started to glow once more.

"I see you can not beat me with your own magic," Crimson challenged. "Perhaps you are as weak as I always knew you were."

Temethyst's eyes burned with rage at that taunt. "You dare question my power?" He started to walk toward Crimson, mud splashing with each heavy hoof stomp. His armor clanked with each motion as he drew near the red coated infidel.

"Prove me wrong. Prove to me th-"

Crimson was lifted off the ground suddenly. Reflexively, he reached for his neck, as if trying to tear off a noose around his throat.

"Silence, fool!" Temethyst demanded. "I am infinitely more powerful than you will ever..." He paused, as he saw Crimson lower to the ground. The King put more focus on the telekenetic magic to choke the life from the impotent pony. He sneered when he realized nothing had happened. "I know you're not as powerful as you think." His horns lit up and his eyes unleashed two concentrated bursts of flames.

Crimson stood and absorbed the fire magic. To his surprise, the red flames turned black as the tainted Elements of Harmony manipulated the blaze. He lifted a hoof to help block the attack. In that instant, the beams went from one of red flames to darkness of void. He was thrown back, his skin on his hoof partially melted from the hit. He stood up in a heavy limp. "Coward!" Crimson taunted. Suddenly, he fell down a hole that appeared below him. He looked up to see an arcing spiral of black flames in the sky curve downward directly toward the hole.

Having no time to consider his actions, Crimson stomped his injured hoof to the wall, which caused him to nearly yell in pain. The wet dirt shifted, and covered the hole in a makeshift mud barrier. He then jumped into the wall, his horn furiously glowing brightly. The wall he jumped into turned to sand and he tucked himself in as close as he could just as the black flames burst through the ground. He felt the chill of the strange magic lick at his cowering flesh. He resisted the urge to shout in terror as the attack grew closer and closer. Finally, it stopped. He slid out of his hiding hole into the new, smoking hole. He looked at his flank to see black burn marks on his skin. He almost fell face first when he put his weight down on his front hoof. When he sat up, he looked down at his arm. His eyes widened in shock upon seeing the extreme damage that initial attack that put him in the hole. It was charred and melted to the bone, and the whiteness of his bone bubbled in dark blisters.

His body tingled, but his arm ached. He leaned back against the mud to let the rain his his coat for a little bit, all while cradling his grossly wounded limb against his chest.

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[BluePhoenyx]

Author's Note: Chapter 29 - Crimson and the Magic of Void
With others hidden away, the battle between Crimson and Temethyst continues. When the mighty king uses his new found power, the magic is one Crimson never expected.

Thank you for reading this chapter. The book is 100% completed. I will be posting frequently, maybe one a day. That means by this time next week, the book will be marked as done.