Chapter 7

As the mare six followed Crimson through the Everfree Forest, they began to become more mindful of their surroundings, as well as letting their mind wander. It was a strange, feeling, but even more strange as they thought they had felt this before they met Crimson. The trees around them started to take on more interesting and odd shapes and forms. Like one time, they saw two trees twisted around each other. In another spot, the grass seemed to grow taller than the trees themselves. As they walked on, the noticed that the trail that they were following had more twists and turns. Swamp-like plants start to take root. As the crew kept talking, Crimson thought, Strange, I don't remember the trail being this bumpy. As he looked back he noticed something strange. The stream that he just passed seemed to go underneath the trail. But stranger still, he wasn't standing on a bridge. Water going underneath land without a bridge like that? That can't be right. In an instant he knew something was wrong, but what exactly. He stopped, the others doing the same. He sniffed, and what reached his nose was the smell of…flesh. "Is everything alright?" asked Pinkie Pie who was in front of him. He looked behind him, Twilight was standing right on the stop Crimson feared. "Twilight. Don't…move…a muscle." He said in a shifty tone.

"Why is that?" Twilight said. She gulped for she knew that Crimson wasn't usually this fearful. So she knew that something wasn't right. Crimson seemed to be examining the land around him. Twilight was confused. "C'mon what is it?" she asked.

"Pinkie Pie, turn around now." Crimson said uneasily. "What wrong?" she asked.

"Look down." He said. As Pinkie Pie studied the ground, she couldn't see what was bothering Crimson. "I don't see anything."

"Just keep looking!" he commanded. Pinkie Pie sighed. Why was Crimson Forge being so bossy? Why couldn't he be cheery for once? She couldn't exactly determine what is was she was trying to look for. But just as she was about to conclude that Crimson was paranoid, she raised her eyebrows as what saw. "It this what you were looking for?" she asked. The others were confused.

"What is it?" Applejack asked. "What do you see?" Pinkie Pie said. "Nothing. I just see a bunch of eyes."

"How many?" asked Crimson. Pinkie Pie said. "Eight."

"Oh No." Crimson Thought as he was about to yell for Pinkie Pie to get out of there. But it was too late. Suddenly the ground below Crimson and Twilight began to shift, almost as if it was alive. But it didn't take them long to find out that the "ground" they were standing on was alive. Both were standing on top of a giant vicious spider. Its skin was a brown and green to camouflage itself in the ground. It's eyes red, redder than Crimson Forge's skin. Its teeth looked as if they could cut through iron. Twilight's brain went into panic mode while Pinkie Pies hysteria was pitched in full throttle. Crimson was as still as a statue. Pinkie Pie was about to cower back when she asked in a high pitched but barely noticeable voice, "WhatinEquestriaisthat?"

"Arachingentam Insidias, the Giant Ambush Spider." Crimson responded. "It kills its prey by digging itself into the ground then popping up. If you don't want to get yourself killed, do exactly as I say." Pinkie Pie nodded her head as she listened up hoping that she wouldn't find herself at the gaping jaws of an oversize arachnid. "First step back slowly." Crimson commanded. "No sudden movements or else the spider will notice your presence." Pinkie Pie started to walk backward more slowly than she ever had in her life. But luck was against her as she stepped on a twig which cracked. In the fearful state she was in, Pinkie Pie turned around thinking it was another spider, but the only one she actually had to worry about was in front of her which noticed her presence and leaped forward. Crimson leapt off the spider's back at that very moment hoping it wouldn't notice him. Pinkie Pie yelped as she nearly avoided a brush with one of the spider's legs whose hairs seemed sharp enough to pierce her skin. Without hesitating, she tried running around it. "Wait! Stop!" Crimson yelled. But it was too late, the spider with enormous strength raised its abdomen and brought its singer piercing down onto Pinkie's side, she collapsed on the ground. "No!" Crimson yelled as he focused on his magic onto his horn and bellowed, "Sopor!". In an instant, a beam of ray shot from his horn onto the spider that then as suddenly dropped to the group into a deep slumber. Crimson ran to Pinkie Pie who began squealing in pain. "Pinkie Pie! Can you hear me?" The others quickly came over to see the amount of pain Pinkie Pie was in. "What's going on?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Pinkie Pie has been envenomed by the spider's sting. She's dying!" Crimson said.

"WHAT?!" The other's said out loud. "This can't be happening!"

"Well, that's what happening as long as you keep standing there!" Crimson said back. "Applejack! Throw me my backpack now!" Applejack did it in quick haste. In an instant, Crimson opened it and brought out what seemed like a large syringe. "Whoa, what are you doing?" Rarity said.

"Saving her life. What's in this needle is an antidote. It's the only cure for the ingenti-venom." Crimson said as he directed his attention to the mare in pain. "Pinkie, listen. What I am about to do to you may hurt a lot. I know how much you hate needles, this will save you okay?" All he saw Pinkie Pie nodding her head while the rest of her body shivered uncontrollably. Crimson held the needle up as he counted down, "One…two…" Pinkie Pie braced herself. "THREE!" In an instant, he inserted the needle in the spot where the sting mark was. Pinkie Pie's teeth gritted tighter as she felt the antidote slowly affecting her inside out. The pain was almost unbearable, even though the medicine was certainly killing off the venom. Then after, a couple of minutes, she got a grip of herself. "Th…thank you for saving me." she managed to speak. Crimson nodded. "Just try to be a bit more mindful nextime." he responded as he applied some disinfectant wrapped a bandage around the infected area. When he looked at the sky he became a bit concerned. The sun was already beginning to lower in the sky. "Alright so here's the deal." he announced. "We have to keep hiking in order to reach the end of the forest. But we won't make it to the other side of the Ucundian Mountain Range before sunset, so we will need to set up camp on the mountain, so I hope you're ready for some windy weather." The ponies groaned as they continued their journey. But as the sun began to set, they still found themselves still stuck in the Everfree Forest.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Of course." said Crimson.

"Wait, what's that up ahead?" Twilight asked as she pointed in the general direction. Something stood out in the opening where they were headed. It looked like sort of large rock. But as they walked closer, the rock seemed to increase its size by the step. When they came into a clearing, they knew what they were at the edge of; mountains. Rarity huff with delight and chuckled as she spoke, "I can't believe we're finally out of that dreadful forest!"

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Rainbow Dash implied. "My hooves are getting all dirty and whatnot. Speaking of which, how long were we in there for?"

"Beats me." Pinkie Pie intervened. Crimson stood in thought then spoke, "About 6 days if you're counting." The mouths of the mare six dropped. How in Equestria could they have not noticed that they have been in there for six days. "How did we not notice that?" Applejack asked.

"When you become accustomed to something, you sometimes go with the flow and forget to do something, unless that thing is a part of the flow. You get what I'm saying?" Crimson implied. The rest of them nodded their heads.

"How high are these mountains?" asked Twilight.

"About six thousand feet up." Crimson responded.

"Six thousand?" the rest of them chimed. Spike especially felt weary having eating too much fish the night before.

"Don't worry! We can still set up camp once we find a decent spot to set up."

"But what if another one of us gets hurt?" Pinkie Pie said as she trembled at the thought. As the group continued upward and day turned to night the winds became stronger and stronger. "How are we supposed to set up our shelters in this wind?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"We set them up against the wind. Fortunately," he said as he used his horn to pull out what seemed like a metal stick. "We can use these." All of a sudden to the ponie's surprise, they seemed to extend with little effort. "They are made of metals known as Ferrum and Titanium. They can withstand the winds."

"Why must we set them up in this kind of weather? It's hard enough to do so on these stupid mountians anyways." Rarity said. Just then, the mountain started to rumble a bit, almost to the point where the ponies almost lost their balance. "Look out!" Twilight exclaimed as the others saw what was coming down the mountain. A boulder twice their size rumbled down and created further smaller rocks that made their way down. Fortunately, the ponies had just enough time to evade the rock. "What just happened?" Spike said.

"Just a case of bad luck I reckon." Applejack said.

"I don't really believe in luck." Crimson said as he turned to Rarity. "Next time, you better watch what you say. Legend has it that the Ucundian mountains have a mind of their own and can hear everything you say." The ponies became superstitions. Mountains actually alive? It couldn't be. Then again, Crimson was the only one who has been over these mountains. They eventually reached a spot where they could set up their shelters. "The winds up here are too strong for me to use my alchemy to plant any more oats, so we'll have to fast." Crimson said. "What if we starve?" Pinkie Pie said. "Don't worry, we can replenish tomorrow on the other side at the town of Phaeros."

"Phaeros is on the other side?" Applejack said. Then she hit on something. "Hold on a minute! Ya don't mean…"

"Exactly." Crimson said. "That is where we will finally meet the foreseer of light and darkness, Ahura Mazda."" Crimson responded. "I'm sorry that you guys will have to sleep on an empty stomach, but this is just one of these things that you will have to use mindfulness and learn to accept." The rest of the ponies accepted that they would just have to go to bed in the path of the winds. The shelter though did have a downside. It flapped as the winds beat down on it so much that the ponies had a bit of trouble sleeping. When they woke up the next morning, they were tired. But as they pack up their belongings, they wondered what the town of Phaeros would look like. Would there be great castles? Would there be huge houses that dwarf the ponies? As they reached the ridge, they all sat down tired from the hike uphill they stopped to drink from their water bottles. But when they looked in the direction of Phaeros, all they saw were sand dunes stretching out for miles. "Welcome to the Dead Basin." Crimson said. The ponies were dumbfounded.

"Where is the town?" asked Pinkie Pie. Crimson pointed to where they said the town was, but what the others saw was nothing but sand. "Are you joking?" said Rarity.

"No. I am actually serious." Crimson implied. "Just follow me."

"Why should we? We've followed you for…for six days and the only things you've led us to were these stupid mountains and this desert!" Rainbow Dash said aloud.

"Would you rather try to find your way back to Ponyville through the forest with the likelihood of you getting attacked by Timberwolves?" said Crimson. Rainbow Dash went silent. The others followed Crimson down the mountain. "I'm getting hungrier!" Pinkie Pie said.

"Be patient Pinkie Pie." Crimson said. "We're almost there."

"Um, are you crazy?" said Pinkie Pie said. "Haven't you noticed there is nothing in front of us but sand, sand and more sand?!"

"Don't let appearances deceive you." Crimson said. "What I can tell you is that you're looking in the wrong direction."

"So, where is it?" Twilight asked as they reached the bottom of the mountain.

"Let's just say it's a land down under." Crimson said as he reached out his hand to touch one of the dunes. To the ponies' surprise, the sand started to collapse to reveal what looked like a pair of two doors with strange and odd looking symbols. At that moment, Crimson said, "Yafta!" According to what the ponies have learned so far, it wasn't Latin. At that moment, the doors opened. "Follow me." Crimson said with a grin. The ponies could not think of anything else to do, so they followed Crimson into a long stone hallway that led to a spiral staircase also made of stone. Before they knew it, they were standing on the edge of what seemed like a stone overhang. But what was more surprising was what was in front of them. "Welcome to Phaeros." Crimson said. They couldn't believe their eyes. It was an entire civilization living under the sandy dunes, with buildings taller than back in Ponyville. Plants and flowers surrounded the town and withheld against the desert environment. At the center of it was a great pyramid. At the top of the Pyramid, and artificial sun illuminated the underground valley, and a magic barrier which kept the sand in the subterranean sky from collapsing onto the buildings. The ponies never knew of such magic that could do such. The underground valley seemed endless. "Well, it seems like you all enjoy the scenery." Crimson Forge said which snapped the others attention. "But I do recall that we have an appointment to make." The ponies shrugged as they followed Crimson down a stairwell connected to the cliff. As they reached the bottom, the mare six saw all of the town's magnificence. The walls of the trapezoid shaped houses were made of the finest clay and marble, all painted on with elegant colors to match the environment. The streets were lively and filled with merchants and other ponies who wore many different kinds of attires ranging from Kalasiris' to Galabiyehs, remnants of what many archaeologists thought was part of a long lost civilization. The ponies were fascinated as they listen to Crimson being their "tour guide" talk about the town and all of its glory. A few times through, they had to stop because Rarity wanted to take a close look at all the known and unknown types of jewelry being sold on the streets and Pinkie Pie desperately asked around from restaurant to restaurant if either she could help or give one of their recipes to her. Fluttershy wanted to take a look at all the new and exotic animals she'd never seen before. "C'mon ! Keep up." said Crimson as they neared the Pyramid at the center of town. As they went inside, the ponies saw many symbols and paintings they had never seen before in their entire life. And next to them were weird symbols that they couldn't comprehend. "What is all this?" asked Twilight. "Is it another form of Latin?"

"No. This is a different language called Hieroglyphic." Crimson said.

"I thought that language was long dead!"

"In your world it is. Here though it has been around for centuries." Crimson continued as they walked up stairs made of stone. "I figured that since we would be here only a day or two, I would save the trouble of teaching you Hieroglyphs, whereas we will stay at Mount Apexia for quite a while." As they moved on they came to a pair of tall doors entirely made of gold. The guards standing at the doorway lowered their spears to prevent them from going any further. "where are you going?" the guards said in their language. Crimson walked up and started to speak in their language. "My name is Crimson Forge. We are here to see Ahura Mazda, foreseer of light and darkness about the prophecy." The guards looked at each other as if they were puzzled. They seemed to be familiar with him as well as his intentions, and gave the order to open the door. The opening of the door revealed a huge room, with alabaster pillars lining up on both sides of the room. The red and ivory carpet stretched out to the end of the room to reveal a bronze throne with decorations on it never seen before. On that throne seemed to be a pony wearing an emerald green Galabiyeh with silver linings. Beside his throne, two guards with tall helmets of gold and deep blue stripes stood beside him. "My friends, I'd like for you to meet his majesty Bakennanefu, servant of the winds." Crimson said before bowing his head. The rest doing the same after him.

"Ah, Desher Hemu (Crimson Forge in Heiroglyphic)! Inedj her-ek!" said Bakennanefu. "Demi en-ek reshut tjeheh!"

"What did he say?" asked Twilight/

"He said, "May joy and delight cling to you." Crimson responded before saying to the king, "Imi renpy-ek (May you feel young again)!"

"What brings you here with your new friends?" Bakennanefu said in his own language.

"I believe they could help us."

"Is that so?"

"Have you ever heard of the prophecy?"

"By our new prophet Ahura Mazda? Yes, why?"

"I think it is turning out to be true."

"Why is that?"

"Asmodues. Am bau (Swallower of souls). Itju-e-hereh (Seizer of the night). Sen (My brother). He plans to ally with this immortal, Seha (Discord) to unleash the power of the Stone of Flaming Wrath." Crimson said. Bakennanefu's face had a look of worry on it as he paused in thought. "This could be a coencidence, but if you're sure it's true, then my guards here will lead you to him."

" I am sure. Thank you for your cooperation your highness." Crimson responded before Bakennanefu gave the sign for his guards to lead them to Ahura Mazda's chamber. Twilight and the other's couldn't wait to see what was in store for them next.