Chapter 3

Twilight was walking through a fog. She could barely see anything. The fog was so thick that it was even difficult to walk through it. But just as she was about to push through with all her might, she stumbled into a circular opening. The fog around her disappeared. There she saw her friends all standing around the circle. Above her, she saw a starry night sky that seemed for infinite and fuller of stars than Luna's night sky. She looked to the floor to see that there was none, just more stars and infinty. She knew then it was a dream, but from whom? Curious she asked, "Whose dream is this?"

"Not mine." said Pinkie Pie always eager to shout out first, as well as the other ponies. Now this is certainly odd, Twilight thought. If this was no one's dream how could it be here? But before she could think of anything else, a faint ray of light came from above. As it grew closer, the light became brighter and then that beam split into six. Those beams stopped just above the rest of the ponies. Those beams turned out to be the elements of harmony. Where did they come from? Then the elements spoke in a whispery voice, "The time has come." Confused and a little spooked, Twilight asked, "May I ask what time in particular?"

"The one who wields the fire has awakened us." said the elements. "You have been chosen."

"Chosen for what?" asked Applejack.

"You must permanently harbor us till the deed is done and you have saved your world."

"Wait, what do you mean harbor your magic?" asked Rainbow Dash. But before she could say anything else, the elements began to glow and soon all the ponies were engulfed in a blinding light.

Spike was asleep near one of Twilight's bookshelves. He could feel that his head was slightly off the edge of his bed. He tossed around a bit and brushed his feet against what he thought would be the warmness of his bed. But what he felt instead was the floor! Realizing this, he opened his eyes and got up only to knock his head against the underside of the bookshelf. His eyes closed at the unexpected pain along with his tiredness. When he opened his eyes again, he could not believe what he was seeing. Spike had grown overnight! He was almost twice his height as he thought! He wobbled as he stood up and then heard Twilight give a huge shriek, "AAAAAHHHH!" which woke up Crimson Forge. Hearing this, Spike ran up to Twilight's room and opened the door, "What's wrong?" he said as he started to look around the room. His eyes started to widen. "Holy Guacamole!" he shouted as he saw what had become of Twilight's room. It was an absolute disaster. All of the books were on the floor, her accessories were scattered across the bedroom. Even her antiques were misplaced. Twilight who was in a state of hysteria turned to Spike and was shocked to see how much he had grown. "Spike! What happened to you?"

"That's the same thing I was going to ask about your room!" Spike responded. "What is going on?"

"I have no clue. But I am pretty sure Trixie's the one behind all this." Twilight said as she pointed her hoof towards a flabbergasted Trixie.

"I… I swear! It wasn't me!" she said out loud as she quickly shook her head.

"What's going on here?" asked Crimson who peered into the room. He looked around at the calamity that had taken place. "Oh. Oh my."

"Twilight's room has been ransacked." said Spike. "Twilight suspects it was Trixie." Crimson took a good look at Trixie. She looked just as overwhelmed as Twilight was. "Now Trixie, did you or did you not mess up Twilight's room?" asked Crimson.

"I didn't do it." she said. "On Celestia's name." Crimson gave a look of confusion. He trotted over to her and gave her a good look.

"Well? Did she do it?" asked Twilight.

"That depends." said Crimson. Who stood in thought. Do you remember when I released the corrupted magic from within Trixie?"

"Yes."

"Well, one of the after effects is that of selective amnesia, so Trixie could've done it without knowing what she was doing in the moment. It often happens when after doing a magic release." After Crimson said that, Trixie started to reflect. She felt a bit guilty. After all, if what Crimson says it true, then it very well could've happened. But just when she was about to take accountability, a cluster of voices came from the window, "Twilight! Help!" Startled, the three ponies and the dragon ran downstairs and out the door to see that all of twilight friends were standing outside and seemed like they had seen a multitude of Discords.

"What happened?" asked Twilight. All of the ponies started to voice their complaints out all at once in brouhaha.

"Be quiet now! Calm yourselves!" said Crimson Forge. "Now one at a time, Applejack you go first."

"Well partner, y'see, I had left all of my apples in the baskets yesterday, and when I woke up this mornin', well they were just scattered all over the darn place!" she said.

"What do you mean by all over the place?" Crimson asked.

"They were scattered not just all over the barn, but the entire farm as well!"

"Okay. Pinkie, you're next."

"Ohmygoshohmygosh! Well you see I left all of my baking supplies in my cabinets and where I usually leave them at Sugar Cube Corner, when I woke up this morning, all of the flour was on the floor! All the cups were everywhere! The eggs were on the walls!"

"Oh. Now that is interesting. I'm guessing the same situation went for all of you?" They nodded their heads. "My fabrics and jewelry were everywhere!" said Rarity.

"All the rain clouds scheduled for today turned dark as night!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Um, well the animals had all escaped my house!" said Fluttershy. "It took me all morning to get them back in!"

Crimsons eyes widened. "How did all of this happen?" he asked. They all shrugged.

"Well, I am certain that Trixie couldn't have done this all in one night without being noticed couldn't she?" Crimson said. Twilight felt a bit ashamed for pinning all of the blame on Trixie before any comprehension. "Well I guess she…" Twilight was interrupted by a voice from above.

"Princess Twilight!" came a shout from the sky. It was some of Celestia's guards. They had brought chariots with them.

"What brings you here?" asked Twilight.

"Your highness," said one of the guards. "Celestia requests that you come to her castle immediately!"

"What's wrong?"

"No time to explain!" shouted the other. "We need to escort you there ASAP!" The ponies as well as Crimson Forge got on the chariots and headed to Canterlot. As they proceeded through the sky, Pinkie Pie began to wonder what would happen next. Despite that she usually stayed positive, she couldn't help but shake the feeling as if the previous bad sign would lead to another. They soon arrived at Canterlot and entered the throne room where Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight's brother Prince Shining Armor was.

"My little ponies! I appreciate the time you took to come here." Celestia said after everypony greeted one another. "Something happened with the elements of harmony."

"What is it?" asked Twilight.

"I've been told that they have lost their power." Luna answered. Everypony's eyes widened. But at the same time, they were also perplexed. What did Celestia mean that the elements lost their power? Celestia then showed them the box where the elements were kept safe and sound, and opened it. The stones were gray. The ponies sensed that their magic had been drained completely. They all shuttered. No event in all of Equestria has been as serious as this since the infamous dacroequus Discord broke from his stone prison.

"Princess Celestia," stuttered Twilight. "How did this happen?"

"I am not sure my dear sister." Prince Shining Armor replied. "But we must find them soon or who knows what could happen." Meanwhile, Crimson Forge who had been hearing this news strayed away from the group, as he dwelled on something. The strange supposed magic anomalies and the elements of Harmony losing their magic. He thought. Could they…?Wait a minute! All of a sudden, an expression came across his face as if he got something figured out. "My dear aquaintanes!" he shouted out. "I think I got it all figured out!" The heads of everypony else started turning towards him as they all said, "You do?" Crimson started to sputter what the other poinies didn't quite understand. He seemed to start counting the ponies in his own language. "Unus, duo, tres, quattor, quingue, sex. Then, the… the bearers, the prophecy!"

"What prophecy?" asked Cadence.

"It's… it's true! It must be! Oh atavi supremi! We are saved!"

"What in tarnation are you talkin' about?" asked Applejack. Then unpredictably, Crimson using his magic lifted a glass vase from a nearby counter and trotted back with it towards the group as he said, "I'm sorry if I have to do this. But there is only one way to find out!" At that moment he threw the vase at Fluttershy. "What are you doing!?" shouted Spike. But it was too late for anypony else to react. Within a matter of nanoseconds, the other ponies saw the glass vase shatter.

Fluttershy couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. Why did Crimson throw that vase? Why did the elements lose their power? Why was everypony's morning a disaster? Why was any of this a thing? But in that moment, none of that mattered. Time seemed to move in slow motion. All she could do was to cower back into a ball and close her eyes. The next thing she heard was the shattering of glass. She expected the glass the pierce her body, but strangely, she didn't feel a thing, not even did she feel the slightest pice glass touching her. How as that possible? None of the ponies let alone Celestia had time to work on her magic to move the vase away from Fluttershy. She slowly opened her eyes to see a flash of blue in front of her. When she completely opened them, she was surrounded by butterflies. But she could sense that these were no ordinary butterflies. Each one of them cast an aurora of light blue around them and left a luminescent tail behind them. Fluttershy was flabbergasted. In the moment she did not know what else to do but just sit there and watch the aroura-casting butterflies in amazement. Eventually, she tried to touch one, but her hoof passed right through it. The glass vase was shattered into so many pieces that at first sight it could be mistaken for glitter. "W...w…would somepony please tell me what in the world is happening to me?" Fluttershy said in a tone she didn't even knew existed.

"I… I am just as confused as you are Fluttershy!" said Pinkie Pie. "You're A-Okay, but the vase just exploded! Into a gazillion pieces!"

"E…exploded?" asked Fluttershy.

"Not necessarily." said Twilight. "But it did seem like those…uh… apparitions around you actually protected you from the thrown vase."

"Indeed." said Crimson Forge, watching from behind the crowd.

"Crimson." said Luna. "Please explain yourself. I have heard much news about you and your otherworldly magic, but I cannot begin to grasp why you would behave in such a manner as to threaten Fluttershy."

"Very well." Crimson replied. "You see, where I come from, when one obtains newly founded powers, one has a hard time controlling it. Sometimes that magic takes up a mind of its own until it can be tamed. It is usually hard for one to summon it unless and event happens in which triggers an extreme or unstable emotion."

"That does not explain why you attempted to hit Fluttershy." Cadence said in a stern tone.

"Neither does it get us anywhere closer to explaining why or how Fluttershy was able to summon those apparitions either." said Twilight to her sister in law. "I think we should focus more on finding out why."

"You don't need to." said Crimson.

"What do you mean?" asked Celestia.

"This may sound a bit loosely connected at first, but… let me put it this way." said Crimson. "I simply put two and two together." The other ponies contemplated on that.

"Wh…what do you mean?" asked Fluttershy who still had the apparitions surrounding her.

"I'm talking about the events that happened here tonight." said Crimson. "All three occurrences in one. Try piecing them together."

She stopped to think for a moment, trying as hard as she could to try and piece the two events together. It almost seemed impossible, considered her state of being overwhelmed. Twilight in the meantime began to contemplate on the situation as well. How could three events that happened today be somewhat related? Then it hit her. Of course, they all had to do with magic. "Well, then I don't see…" Twilight sputtered. Something else hit penetrated ther thoughts; something much bigger. While the previous discovery seemed like a toy mallet playing Whack-a-Mole, this connection felt like a Giant Steel Hammer crashing down. Her eyes began to widen. The other ponies turned their attention towards the two. Twilight gasped. "Are you saying…?"

"Exactly." Crimson replied.

"What is it?" asked Spike. Crimson Forge turned his head towards the others.

"Fluttershy's element is literally inside her."

Fluttershy felt her mouth drop to the floor. "No way." she said under her breath, believing what Crimson said was true at first. The other ponies were also startled at the conclusion that Crimson Forge came up with.

"Yes way." said Crimson. "The elements magic has left their stone forms and has taken up permanent residence inside their bearers." He looked towards all six of the ponies who were in a state of confusion. "What is occurring right now in front of Fluttershy is a physical manifestation of her cutie mark, all coming from the awoken power of her element. And because the magic is directly inside her, her magical enhancement has increased dramatically."

"So you're saying that you're comparing the Magus Stones with the Elements of Harmony." Twilight implied.

"Exactly!" Crimson remarked. "The two are very similar in terms of enhancement and control."

"Okay. First off darling, where did you fancy all of this paraphernalia?" asked Rarity. "And second, why would the elements abandon their stone carriers?"

"I am not sure why the elements would." said Crimson.

"Then basically we have no reason to believe what you're saying it true." Rarity replied.

"Well…" began Twilight starting to remember her vision. "Now that you mention it, there was this one dream I had last night."

"What was it about?" quickly asked Crimson, desperate for answers.

"I was with the other ponies. And then I saw the elements of harmony coming down from the sky." Twilight told the crowd. "Then… then they spoke."

"Hold on partner." Interrupted Applejack. "You're tellin' me that all six of those darn elements actually talked?"

"I'm afraid so."

"What did they say?" asked Celestia.

"Well, they said something that a time had some, and that the wielder of fire has awoken them."
"Crimson Forge?"

"Possibly. And what's more is that they said that we must permanently harbor them or something. The pieces seemed to click just a bit more in each of the ponies heads than it started out with.

"Did they say anything else?" inquired Cadence.

"Something to do with… saving the world I guess." Twilight replied.

"They do seem to correspond with each other." Implied Celestia. "But we have no specific proof."

"I think I do." interrupted Crimson. "You see, in my belief. Dreams are not just the essence of the mind, but the soul as well."

"And this is related because?" Cadence asked.

"Where I come from, the dreaming world is a spiritual plain not entirely separate from ours, a world that we believe has been entirely created by who we honor as the two creators of this world. Celestia and Luna." The ponies turned towards the two sisters who smiled. Crimson continued. "The dreaming is one of the most effective ways for us to communicate with our ancestors, but doing so is also hard. Dreams come in to our body and minds even as predictions or omens of what is to come, sent from our ancestors. What Twilight may have experienced was a message related to the Great Prophecy." Crimson explained. The other ponies gave looks of confusion. "What's the Great Prophecy?" asked Shining Armor.

"It goes like this." Crimson cleared his throat.

"Six shall become permanent bearers of magical might, from a land under the realms of day and night. From a wielder of fire, they all shall be led, to unlock their mindfulness to challenges ahead. They will undergo a most perilous game, to prevent a great evil from setting the world aflame. But upon completion, there shall come to an end, of one who is most dearly known as a friend." The ponies looked at each other upon hearing this. Rainbow Dash sighed being bored as well as confused not wanting to partake in this situation any longer. "Sir?" she asked. "Do you even know where you come from?"

"I come from a land that is much different from yours. Through the Everfree Forest, across the Dead Basin, through The Canyon of the Ancient Pillars, and into the Great Valley. There, at the end of the valley my home Mount Apexia stands tall & mighty." Crimson explained.

"Just what is this Mount Apexia?" asked Twilight.

"It was once the capital of a great nation known as Gladius. The Great Valley, providing as a natural fortress allowed Mt. Apexia to flourish and grow from humble beginnings. It is a center where all the towns of the former nation of Gladius used to trade as well as work and communicate with one another, it was a utopia. But as time began to move, so did the towns. Some seceded from Mt. Apexia and began to expand. As they expanded, so did their languages, which is what I am assuming is what led to the creation of your town. The language that is spoken and Mr. Apexia is known as Latin, which is what I speak." Crimson explained. The ponies seemed to get a better understanding of who and what Crimson was.

"But that still doesn't answer how you released my magic from the stone which corrupted me!" implied Trixie.

"Good question." Crimson replied. "You see, back at Mt. Apexia we train those who are interested and willing to devote their lives to work in the arts of science and sorcery. Some are naturals as obtaining higher levels of magic. For those who have a harder time though, we give them these stones called Magus Stones. It enhances their ability to create and manipulate magic up to a certain point, thus allowing them to reach higher levels of magic with the help of the stone. However, if a bearer becomes influenced by negative thoughts or feelings and want to use the stone for those purposes, they become corrupt." Trixie and the others had a better understanding. "Apart from that, when the bearer of a Magus Stone reaches a certain level, it is the time for the bearer to become independent of the stone. So they must undergo a quick painless ritual to release the bond between bearer and stone. When a stone gets crushed or destroyed, the bond is prematurely thus causes the bearer to undergo a somewhat unpleasant transformation."

"Why is that?" asked Twilight.

"Because some of the stones magic still resides the bearer. Without the stone to hold the magic, the body becomes a vessel. And it doesn't turn out well for the bearer. The only way to release that magic is by performing an emergency release ritual. They must do this or else the magic inside bearer will cause the body to become more hideous and eventually continue to shrink until there is nothing left of the bearer." Crimson said. The other ponies gulped, expect for Pinkie Pie who was eager to answer just one question. "Oh! Oh! Were there other humongous cities like yours?" Crimson paused for a moment and dwelled on the subject.

"Is something wrong?" asked Fluttershy who still had the apparitions floating ceaselessly around her.

"Well…" started Crimson. "There used to be. There once were a lot of huge kingdoms that did not originate from my home. We used to communicate with each other and flourish while we honored the ancestors as well as the two creators Celestia and Luna. But then…" He paused again.

"What is it?" asked Rainbow Dash. Crimson sighed. "I…I just don't think it is my right to tell you what happened between those civilizations. But what I can tell you is that all of us, all but that of Mt. Apexia were completely wiped out."

"Wiped out?!" the ponies exclaimed. "By what?"

"The answer to that question is not what, so much as who." replied Crimson as he started to focus his eyes on one of the ponies. The others turned toward the two sisters, who they soon realized have kept quiet for some time. Something suspicious was happening about as they could sense, but hey just didn't know what. Then quickly as if she might have realized something, Twilight turned back to Crimson.

"But you don't mean to say…" she gasped.

"I'm afraid so." said Crimson.

"How dare you say something like that against her!" shouted Twilight. "Celestia would never do such a thing to any of your kind!"

"Yeah, same thing here! Shame on you!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Just who in Equestira do you think you are?" said Rarity.

"Get lost, freak!" shouted Rainbow Dash. The other ponies started to throw other boos and hisses as Crimson Forge, who strangely didn't seem to be affected by any of it. Trixie just decided to avoid the hubbub by any means necessary. "That's enough!" yelled a voice from behind the ponies. "You cannot say those things to Crimson Forge." It was Celestia. The other ponies gave a look of surprise to her. "But… but Princess!" said a perplexed Twilight. "How can you say that after what Crimson Forge said to you?" Celestia closed her eyes and gave a sigh, as if something had hurt her feelings deep inside. Luna gave a concerned look to her sister. "Dear sister? Are you sure you want to spill the beans?" she asked.

"I'm afraid it's time that they know." Celestia replied.

"What are y'all tryin' to say to us?" asked Applejack. Celestia took in a big gulp of air and sighed. "That Crimson is right. I did wipe out his fellow civilizations." The ponies were thunderstruck. They couldn't believe a word Celestia or Crimson said to them. Why would the sun goddess, one of the creators of Equestira, and one of the kindest alicorns they ever knew in existance try to annihilate almost all of it? Questions started pouring down on the ponies like a great thunderstorm. They just couldn't comprehend why any of that happened, and it left them speechless.

"I take it you're all confused?" asked Celestia. Everypony nodded their heads in silence, except for Crimson and Luna, who also knew of why. Celestia looked away from the group in thought, as if she was about to say something she would regret.

"If I tell you all about why I had to wipe them out, you must swear on my name to never tell another living creature about this." she said. The rest of the ponies looked at each other and nodded their heads, still not knowing what to say about Celestia's response.

"Well…" Celestia began. "You have to take my word for what I am saying, because regardless of what I needed to do to them, I honestly did love those civilizations just as much as yours. But one day something happened, something dark that gone too far, something that I just couldn't allow in this world." A look of remorse and grief started to show on her face as Luna attempted to comfort her by putting her wing on her back.

"What was it?" asked Trixie as the Princess got a hold of herself.

"It was war."

Looks like things are about to take another interesting twist! Until then, see you in the next chapter!