Collision Code

by SSJRandomMaster

Act 3 Chapter 19

Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 19: Out of the Penalty Box
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Word of what Fluttershy had done spread quickly while she was being treated in the hospital. By the time she was released, everypony in town had learned of it. As she walked through the streets everyone she passed looked at her with nothing but unparalleled admiration. They knew that she was the mare who had stopped the foal killer. But no matter how many smiles and praises she received, Fluttershy could only feel hollow. She’d stopped Silver Talon, sure; she’d saved the other foals she’d kidnapped, yeah. But all that didn’t change the fact that this all could have been avoided.

She knew the truth that everyone else didn’t; that is, why Silver Talon had been sent to Ponyville while the others were away. She knew they would likely never know, and telling them wouldn’t change a thing. There was, however, one pony she had to tell. She deserved to know the truth more than anyone else—why Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to just sit in a hospital bed.

Her trip took longer than she expected; maybe it was the numbness from her injuries, or maybe it was the apprehension about what she was going to do. However, she wasn’t going to let it stop her. Fluttershy pushed on until she reached her destination: a single home in Ponyville; the one where half of Ponyville had once gathered.

Fluttershy now stood on the doorstep, a clear bloodstain just on her right. A knot formed in her chest as she remembered the screams she’d heard on that day.

No turning back, she thought to herself as she knocked on the door. Several seconds passed by before the door finally opened, and the mare she had come to see stepped out: the mother of the now-dead foal. Just like the last time Fluttershy had seen her, she looked utterly disheveled, as though it was taking every ounce of her willpower just to function.

“You?” she said in surprise, the smallest of smiles spreading across her lips. No doubt word had reached her by now. Fluttershy could only feel the guilt inside of her grow at the sight, knowing full well that whatever the mother saw in her would come crumbling down when she learned why everything happened…

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Fluttershy said in a serious tone, “It’s…really important.”

“O-okay,” The mother stepped aside to allow Fluttershy to enter, closing the door behind them once they were inside. Now both of them made their way towards the living room where they stood in silence. The mother looked back at Fluttershy, noticing the look in her eyes. It looked to her like Fluttershy was struggling with something within her own mind. The silence of the room stretched on for several seconds, before it was broken by the sound of Fluttershy taking in a deep breath.

“I guess you’ve heard what happened by now,” Fluttershy finally said. The mother smiled a little more, nodding her head in response.

“Y-yes, hard not to, honestly,” the mother chuckled, “You’re the talk of the town now,” Tears trickled down her cheeks, “I’m so happy… nopony else had to go through what I did.”

She closed her eyes tightly as she grit her teeth, fighting to keep herself from crying again. Fluttershy’s heart bled out for her. She had without a doubt gone through more grief than any mother should. But Fluttershy knew it was now or never. She definitely couldn’t stall any longer.

“It was my fault.”

At Fluttershy’s words, the mother paused. Her eyes opened as she stared at Fluttershy, a confused look on her face.

“What?”

“When the Royal Guards came to town, and Mayor Mare explained to everypony what was happening, you were only told a part of the truth,” Fluttershy explained, the mother listening intently to every word, “When the escaped prisoners of Tartarus contacted Princess Celestia…it was to start what they considered a game. Only the other Elements of Harmony and I were the ones who were supposed to be the other players…

“But when the first attack happened, when that lion raided the town…I thought I’d seen my place. I wasn’t just afraid, I was useless. While all my friends were doing everything that could, I stood at the sidelines. When it was all over and everyone was happy that they’d accomplished something, I could only feel ashamed. I couldn’t do anything, and I’d convinced myself that I never would.

“So when the time came that we would have to fight again… I chose to walk away. I thought that if I went with them that I’d just be a liability to everyone. But at the time, I didn’t know that my choice had consequences,” Finally, it was time for her to say exactly what the mom deserved to know.

“Because I decided not to fight, the other prisoners decided I needed to be punished. So they sent one to Ponyville, and she was the one who took your foal from you…all because I was too weak to fight.”

When Fluttershy had finished, both went into another long silence. The mother’s body language had changed after hearing the story, showing that she was struggling to come to terms with what she’d learned.

“Why…why did you tell me all this?” she asked, her eyes shadowed by her mane.

“Because if I don’t, I’ll never be able to let go of who I was,” Again, there was silence, the mother staring back at Fluttershy, a scowl taking form on her face. However, the stillness was broken…by the sound of the mother’s palm striking Fluttershy’s face. The sound of the slap echoed through the room, and the force of it made her turn her head. She’d expected this response.

The mother turned her head away from Fluttershy now, tears continuing to stream as she sobbed silently. Fluttershy only nodded to herself. She’d accomplished what she’d come here to do, and now she was sure she’d overstayed her welcome. Only when she’d walked past the mother and toward the door, the mother moved, putting a palm to Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy stopped, but didn’t turn around, instead waiting for the mom to say something.

“Is she really dead?” she asked, “The one who took my foal?”

“I watched her go with my own eyes…”

The mother let out a small sigh, finding some solace in knowing her foal had been avenged. But there was still one thing left to say.

“Never again are you to run from a fight,” she said sternly, “Do you hear me?”

“You have my word.”
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I know she didn’t forgive me, and I honestly don’t think she ever will. Not that I blame her… but I still made that promise to her…and to myself that day…

I’m not going to run anymore. I’m done being afraid.
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Everyone listened to Fluttershy as she told her tale. Everyone was in total silence as they envisioned everything they were told. It was a lot to take in. Since they departed from Ponyville, they’d all firmly believed that she would be safe. Now, however, they saw that she was in more danger than ever while they were away. Many emotions were felt as they heard the story, from regret, knowing they’d left Fluttershy to face Talon by herself, all the way to anger, learning of what the prisoner had managed to do before being stopped.

But through the mixed emotions, there was one thing that her friends felt more than anything else; pride. Faced with a threat, Fluttershy didn’t run. She chose to fight, and in the end she lived to tell the tale. Just by looking at her now, they could see that she’d grown a lot in only a few days. Everything she’d gone through made her stronger. Without a doubt, that was the only silver lining in this whole ordeal, as little as it seemed.

“I’m proud of you, ‘Shy,” said Rainbow as she held her friend closely. She’d been worried about her since they left. At least now she knew for sure that Fluttershy was safe.

“We all are, darling,” said Rarity as she place da hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. A moment later, Rarity made Fluttershy sit down and wrapped a tarp around her neck, “Now if you’ll sit down and relax, I’ll have your mane fixed in no time.” Somehow, she’d kept herself from following her impulse while she heard the story, but now that all had been said, she absolutely couldn’t hold herself back from fixing Fluttershy’s hair.

While Rarity and Fluttershy were occupied, Applejack and Twilight were on the other side of the room.

“So the secret’s out,” Applejack sighed, “So much for keepin’ the town from freaking out. Now everypony’s afraid to step out their own homes from the looks of it,” said Applejack, “And after we’d tried to keep it under wraps…”

A few seconds passed, but Twilight didn’t respond.

“Twilight?” asked Applejack, looking over to her.

Again, there was no response. Her palm was to her chin as she looked down in deep though. While she’d heard most of Fluttershy’s story, her mind found itself slowly shutting out everything around her the moment she heard one word: a name, to be exact.

Norma… It was something in the back of her mind, but she’d felt like she’d heard it before. She was deep in thought, pushing her mind as far as she could to try to get herself to remember. But with every name she went through, every face she’d met them to, there was not one creature she’d met who had such a name. Yet she knew she’d learned of the name before this day.

But… where?
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While most of the group was content to converse among themselves, two members of their ranks quietly ventured outside. The two stood there for a few moments, staring off into the distance, the story they’d heard still sinking in. This was the third prisoner of Tartarus to make themselves known. This one managed to take a life before being stopped. Each prisoner was proving to be more dangerous than the last. It wasn’t just that their viciousness had increased, but each of them was smarter than the last. And they certainly knew Silver Talon was showing restraint—had she not been kept in check by this “Norma”, she definitely would have caused untold damage.

“Just how many more…” Corey finally said, “How many more are going to die before all this is over…?”

He was still, still injured from his fight with Slayer. Though no one said it, they were worrying about what it meant – why he wasn’t healing like usual.

“No one else is going to die. We’ll stop them…”

That is… John wished he could say that. He wanted nothing more than to be able to make that promise with unshaken confidence. But he couldn’t. Each attack was planned out before they happened, and took everyone by surprise without fail. On top of that, they were under near-constant watch by the enemy. He’d never really thought that much about it until now. But now that he was, John realized how much of a disadvantage they really had.

“The deck’s stacked against us, Corey…” he said, not that Corey didn’t know already, “But there’s still a chance. Even if it seems impossible, the fact is, we’re in a world where that can be redefined at a moment’s notice. You know that…”

“You really believe that…?” Corey said dryly. Maybe it was because of what had happened to him up north, or maybe it was his cynical outlook on life in general. Currently, Corey was having a hard time finding any light at the end of this tunnel of chaos and despair. John let out a small sigh in response, leaning against the guard rail.

“I have to…” John said.

“Why?” Corey was on point with his questions today. At least this time, John knew what to say. Standing up straight, he looked back at his friend and placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder.

“Because the only other option would be to give up.”

With that, John began to make his way back into Fluttershy’s home, making sure to say his final words before entering.

“And I’d rather die than give in.”
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Inside the catacombs that served as the prisoners’ hideout, an ominous bloodlust oozed through the maze of caves. This, added with the sounds of random destruction, would have caused any living soul to venture as far away as possible and not look back. And yet, one hooded figure not only managed to walk through this, but did so as though he relished in the din. Calmly, the hooded figure walked through the tunnels, the sounds growing louder with every passing step. Until, finally, the figure came to a stop at a large door. The figure raised one hand to it, coming close to knocking. But just before his knuckles could make contact, the door began to glow red. The figure quickly stepped to the side just as the door erupted from its frame, flying towards the parallel wall. The door shattered, the wall cracking severely on impact.

The figure stared at the door for only a few seconds before moving back into place, stepping through where the door once stood.

“It would be best if you kept your distance,” came a venomous voice, but the figure did not flinch.

“You seem to have quite the sour disposition now that your name was revealed…” His voice was monotone at best. It held no signs of mockery nor judgment, only stating the truth that was on the table before him. Finally, the cloaked figure stopped when he spotted another standing in the shadows.

“Though you only have yourself to blame. You stated on several occasions that we’re just your pawns. Yet still you made it a point for everyone here to know your name, for what I can only surmise as an inflated ego—“

Some say that words can hurt, but they never meant the sudden, crushing pain one could feel if their heart was grasped by a foreign hand and squeezed. The figure turned its head to face him as its eyes glowed a savage red.

“You’ve seen firsthand what happens when someone speaks against me,” the figure said, in an oddly effeminate voice, “Need I make you another example?”

Though the monotone figure had been doubled over from the pain, there was no sign of panic whatsoever in his tone.

“You can terminate me, but we both know the real reason you began this game…” A few moments later, the pain subsided, as did the glare from the effeminate leader.

“In truth, I did not come to pester you,” said the figure, showing absolutely no issue with what had happened, “I simply wish to place my piece on the board, so-to-say.”

A few seconds of silence later, their boss – Norma – finally sighed.

“Very well, but death is the least of your concerns if you fail,” said Norma, but before she could finish her statements, the cloaked figure had already begun to walk away. He’d only needed to hear the confirmation before moving out.

However, there was one thing he needed to say before departing…

“Wouldn’t dream of it…”

Author's Note:

And there's the end of this arc. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, for those of my readers who celebrate it. Thanks to all who have read this far along.

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

Norma... is a rather underwhelming Big Bad name XD

[Moowell]

6680161
Underwhelming at first glance, but consider this: it's a human name. Much like John or Corey.

[Seeking Dusk]

6680553 Cue the conspiracy theories!

[Luna is back]

"Wouldn't dream of it..." Dream manipulation?