Collision Code

by SSJRandomMaster

Act 3 Chapter 25

Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 25: High Stakes
------------------------------------------
Gatherings in the library had used to lead to happy memories and fun times. In recent weeks, though, a get together would only lead to one thing: bad news. Guards were dispatched to the far corners of Ponyville in order to collect the others from their homes. In silence, they sat in the study hall, each pair of eyes locked firmly on John’s back. His front was pointed towards the stairs leading up to Twilight’s room. His own eyes were distant from recent memories.

“Is Corey sleeping in for this?” asked Rainbow. Neither John nor Twilight could blame her for doing so. The others had yet to know what had happened, only that the next attack was underway. John closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Then, he turned to face the others.

“Twilight…” John said, not even looking to her. Though she wasn’t looking at him either, Twilight nodded, and her horn began to glow. Her magic was aimed at the door upstairs. The knob turned and the soundproofed room began to open. The door was opened for only three seconds, but the screams that filled their ears would haunt them for days to come. With no exceptions, the others flinched, and a couple reached up to cover their ears.

“What the hay was that!?” asked Applejack.

“Corey…” Twilight said. Everyone stared at Twilight through wide eyes of disbelief. Rainbow immediately covered her mouth, regretting her earlier question.

“W-what’s happening to him?” asked Fluttershy. Again, John let out a small sigh. He’d already gone over this once, and that was torture. Now, he had to explain this again. But he wasn’t going to cast that burden to anyone else.

“Corey was attacked,” John started, “But before that, this prisoner attacked me first. He did it in a way where no one would see or hear it,” John reached up, and with the tip of his clawed finger tapped the side of his head, “He goes by the name Kurama, and somehow, he has the ability to jump between people’s dreams.”

John went on to explain everything that Luna had told him: Kurama’s rap sheet, and exactly what he did to someone once he caught them in their own dreams…

“Okay, so he traps ponies in nightmares,” said Applejack, “And we can all agree that’s horrible. But for now, we at least know Corey’s safe. All we need to do is find Kurama and take him down. Then everyone he’s put in a nightmare will wake up; simple, right?”

On paper, it did seem that simple. But there was one last thing John had yet to tell them, and it was the worst part.

“There’s one more thing I have to say,” John said, “The nightmares… even if they seem endless, they actually do end. Thing is…when the nightmares stop…the victim does too.”

Just like when John had told Twilight, everyone’s eyes filled with distress. They knew that an expiration date had just been slapped on to one of their own.

“Three days,” John said, “If we don’t find Kurama and find a way to make him stop the nightmares…”

John couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence a second time. But he didn’t have to. Everyone listening already connected the dots on their own, and understood what was at risk.

“But how do we find him?” Though it was a thin silver lining, John was glad to have at least one bit of good news to the whole mess.

“There is one thing I do know about his magic. Unlike Luna, his seems to come in a limited range. Meaning in order for him to attack anyone here, he’s got to be within some distance of Ponyville. On top of that, the guards told us that they’d managed to fend off an intruder hours ago, injuring him. He is in Ponyville, and he’s hurt, two advantages we can’t afford to let slip out of our hands.”

Everyone understood what John was getting at. If this were true, then reason states that he’d have to be hiding somewhere, and in order for him to jump from dream to dream, he’d need to leave his real body defenseless.

“If trackin’ him down is the goal, then I’m your mare,” said Applejack.

“We can’t risk anyone finding him alone,” John said, “We’ll split into two teams, and each team will be mixed with guards for extra support. Chances are, he’s picked his hiding spot well, but the more eyes we have, the higher our chances, even more so when he comes out of hiding.”

“How can you be sure he’ll do that?” Rarity asked.

“Regardless of what he’s done, he’s still mortal. And just like any of us, he’ll eventually have to come out and find some food. That’s why I have guards stationed in any area where he’d find it in and around Ponyville. If he wants to come out, he’ll have to take the risk.”

There was no doubt about it. John wanted Kurama found. It was clear he was taking every step he could to do that. With the plan now set, the others didn’t have to wait very long before they could begin. The guards had gathered outside the library within an hour. After they gathered, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie took one half of the gathered guards while Rarity, Twilight and Rainbow joined the others. The two teams were about to depart, but before they could, a question was asked.

“So which team are you going with?” asked Rainbow, causing both sides to watch John who stood at the door.

“Neither,” he said, “While you guys are searching for him around Ponyville, I’m going to try and find him where I know he’ll be.”

The others looked at him, confused. It wasn’t that they didn’t know what he meant, but rather whether or not he really did mean that.

“You don’t mean…?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure at first, but Twilight confirmed it for me. Just like Kurama, I can jump into others’ dreams as well,” He didn’t wait for the others to ask their questions; he knew exactly what was on their minds after he said that, “Though I can’t be sure, I think I know how I’m able to do this. Luna used to tell me that, even though she trained me in battle, I still counted as her apprentice, and something like that would come with perks. Without me knowing, she might have blessed me with the magic to do this. Regardless of the reason, I’m not one to turn down something like this, and I intend to use it.”

“He isn’t sure how he used it the first time, though,” Twilight said, “So until he figures it out, we’re on our own.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Rainbow, “You kick his ass in his dreams, and we’ll kick his real ass! Double-whammy!”

With everyone in agreement, both teams began to move out to begin their search. But before she could take off, however, Rainbow felt a rather large, scaly hand come down on her shoulder.

“Uh, Rainbow?” John asked, getting her attention.

“Yeah?”

“Be careful, okay…?”

Rainbow saw the worry on John’s face for a few seconds before letting out a small chuckle.

“You big softie,” she said, punching him in the shoulder, “Don’t worry. We’ll take this guy down just like the others.”

With that, she took off, joining the rest of her team and leaving John in the library. John watched until they disappeared in the distance before he turned and entered, closing the door behind him. Finding a seat, John placed himself in the middle of the room, sitting alone in total silence.

When he’d managed to jump into Corey’s dream, it seemed to come out of sheer desperation. He already knew he couldn’t rely on that. He needed to find a way to harness that skill and use it willingly, and he had to do that fast. Even though he didn’t know where to start, he wasn’t going to let it stop him from trying. As he sat thee in silence, he remembered Rainbow’s words to him.

“We’ll take this guy down just like the others.”

“Yeah…” John said, “I’ll make sure of that.”

As the sun rose in the distance, the countdown began.
------------------------------------------
The sun had finally rose not too long ago. If anything, it was a sign that ponies would soon wake up. Kurama would soon run out of potential victims, at least for now. The teams had long since split and searched in different areas of Ponyville. Many had lived here for most, if not all their lives. Now, as they searched through every corner for what could be a hiding spot, it was as though they were looking at it for the very first time.

“Anything in the sky, Rainbow?” asked Rarity.

“None that I can see,” Rainbow said, slowly descending until she landed next to Rarity, “I know today’s cloud layout by heart, so I’ll know if anything’s out of place. I doubt he’d try to hide in the sky, though. Way too open.”

Rarity nodded; Kurama would likely be trying to hide in an area with a lot of cover.

“How about you, Rares?”

Rarity’s horn and eyes lit up as she scanned the surrounding areas. It was the same spell she’d tried in the Crystal Empire.

“Nothing in my line of sight,” said Rarity, cancelling the spell and rubbing her eyes. As useful as the new X-ray spell was to her now, it took a lot of magic to sustain and strained her eyes. Much as she wanted to use it more, she knew she couldn’t.

“Well, we know he can use magic,” Rainbow considered, “What if he’s cloaking himself?” They’d already dealt with a unicorn who could manage to disguise himself. It stood to reason that another prisoner with magical talent would also be capable of hiding himself.

“What do you think, Twilight?” Usually, Twilight would answer such a question with one of her contingency plans, but Rainbow and Rarity were both surprised to hear no response.

“Twilight?” Now she turned towards her friend. Again, Twilight didn’t answer, her full attention pointed back to town. There was no question as to what was going through her mind at that moment.

“Hellooooooo???” Hoping to get her attention this time, Rainbow began to wave her hand in front of Twilight’s face. Though it took several seconds, finally, she got a reaction as Twilight blinked and her head moved back slightly.

“Huh-what?” She asked, “Did you say something?”

It wasn’t like the others could blame her for being distracted. With Corey’s current condition, and what they knew, of course her mind was still back there. However, they chose not to press the issue given the circumstances.

“Listen, Twilight, we get that you’re worried about Corey, but right now there’s nothing you can do for him, at least, not directly. The only way we can wake him up is by finding Kurama and putting the hurt on him,” said Rainbow, “And right now, at least his body is as safe as can be. The whole town has guards keeping a close eye on anything suspicious. And on top of that, if anyone tries to get near him, they’ll have a pissed off dragon to deal with.”

Rainbow was often very blunt, and was just as likely to be incapable of reading a situation. But in the moments when she offered sincere comfort, she wasn’t one to hold back.

“You’re right, Rainbow,” Twilight sighed, turning her full attention towards the others. As much as she didn’t want to leave Corey alone in the state he was in, she also knew that she really couldn’t do anything right now, “Alright. By this point everyone in Ponyville would have to be awake now. Even if there are a few stragglers, there’s a chance that Kurama might wake now. If John’s hypothesis is correct, he might go on the search for food, but we have to find him before that. We’re going to change up our search strategy a bit. We’re going to form a moving barricade between here and Ponyville, near an open area.”

The others, including the guards, nodded in agreement and began to form.

“Rainbow, you keep to the sky and tell us if you see any strange movement.”

“You got it,’ said Rainbow, taking off into the sky.

“Rarity, I know you aren’t in total control of your spell yet, so use it on spots that count: anything that’s heavily covered,” Rarity nodded and moved to the front of the line, ready to use her spell when she thought necessary. With the formation set, they began to move with Twilight’s command. Twilight herself joined Rainbow in the sky above for an extra set of eyes.

If Kurama was indeed somewhere around Ponyville, she would make sure to find him.
------------------------------------------
Spike tried to fall back asleep when John had crashed through the room’s door. He tried to sleep again as he and Twilight started to yell at each other for a reason he didn’t understand at the time. But after hearing the screams of terror and anguish coming from Twilight’s most recent roommate? Spike wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to fall asleep again. Now, he was in the library, reorganizing books. He hadn’t been asked to, but it was the only thing keeping his mind away from the memories of the screams. Even after Twilight had soundproofed the room, he couldn’t completely wipe that memory from his head.

“Ugh, that’s gonna haunt me for a while,” Spike sighed, tossing a book aside. It was clear that this just couldn’t work. Normally, he’d have read comic books to get his mind off the real world, but his stash was currently up in the room. And right now, he wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to go back up there again. Letting out a sigh, Spike sat down. Once again, he was all alone in the library with his thoughts.

He didn’t blame the others. He knew that they wanted him to be safe from what they’ve had to face. But that didn’t change that he wished he could help. But he also knew at his size, there wasn’t anything he could contribute. It wasn’t like he was eight feet tall…

Just then, he remembered. That other dragon, John, hadn’t gone with them this time. Instead, he’d stayed behind to try and get the hang of that dream jumping magic he’d managed to use the night before. It had been a good while since he tried it, and Spike had left him to concentrate.

“Wonder how he’s doing…”

Taking a chance, Spike quietly moved towards the entrance to the next room. Once at the frame, he peered his head around and looked inside. He saw John sitting in the same chair he was in when he first began, still sitting upright. But while he couldn’t see John’s front side, Spike couldn’t help but notice something was different.

I wonder if…?

Again, he moved, slowly inching himself around the much larger dragon until he was at his front side. It was then that he noticed it. John’s eyes were glowing just as they had been last night.

“No way…” Spike said, looking closer. As an added measure, he began to wave his arms around, seeing if he’d get some kind of reaction. None came, John still seemingly staring off into space with glowing white eyes.

“He actually did it…”

Author's Note:

And there we go, etc. etc. etc.

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

I have to wonder if Kurama is also in a trance while he dream hops. Would make pinning him down in the material world easier... though it's easy to find a well buried hiding spot in that situation...