Collision Code

by SSJRandomMaster

Act 3 Chapter 44

Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 44: The Lowest Point
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The only thing that could have shaken everyone out of their earned post-crisis resting was an even bigger crisis. It was bad enough that Twilight’s home had been invaded by the escaped prisoners, but to realize the Elements of Harmony themselves had been taken was a sobering, crippling blow to the post-victory relief that had enveloped them all. The sun had nearly completed its trek across the sky. In an hour, maybe two, it’d be sunset. But to those in Golden Oaks, it seemed like the blackest night had already arrived.

“They knew where they were all along,” Applejack said, her despair expressing itself as fury, “Wouldn’t have put it past ‘em to do somethin’ like this!”

“The Elements of Harmony were our last option, our final contingency if everything proved too much,” said Twilight, “But now, they’re gone… stolen by them! Without the Elements…”

The silence hung heavy in the room. No one could say anything. The hopelessness Kurama brought had returned, magnified several times over. Even bringing the group together didn’t accomplish anything. Not one of them could think of anything positive to say. How could they? Even if their friendship had endured without their use, they were the objects that had brought them together, and brought the land peace on multiple occasions.

Corey and John had stood off to the side, neither able to bear the sight of what they were witnessing. To John, it felt as though everything that he’d gone through the past few days had been wasted. To Corey, an unspeakable guilt had entered the back of his mind once again as his subconscious reminded him it was his mistake that had led to this.

“D-did…” Fluttershy was the first to break, “Did we…did we ever have a chance at all?”

Normally, someone might have reached out and reassured Fluttershy. Told her that despite what had happened, there was still a chance left for them to pull through. But, after all that had happened? Three of their group came too close to dying. Kurama was by far the most dangerous out of all of them. Not only that, the remaining escapees were getting more brazen.

For a few moments later, everything was quiet. Corey finally looked directly over to where everyone was sitting. No one looked like they could go on. In fact, even John wasn’t quite himself. John, the very person who had reached out to him when he’d had doubts, was now looking defeated himself. It took a while for it to sink in, but when it did, a cold wave of… terror, he assumed, went through him.

Have they, Corey fretted, raising one of his fingers towards his mouth, unable to believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing, have they all given up?

“If Norma could have forced the gates of Tartarus open on her own,” Twilight said, “What could she do with the Elements?”

“No… no!” Rainbow said, slamming one fist on the table, “T-this can’t be it!” Even she didn’t sound convinced of herself.

“W-was everything for nothing?” Pinkie asked.

T-this isn’t right… Corey twitched in his seat a bit, resisting the urge to make any noise just yet. Sooner or later, someone would eventually manage to pull through here, right?

“I don’t know, Pinkie,” said Twilight, “I just… don’t know…”

We haven’t lost yet… Corey leaned on one arm.

“There’s so much I have left to do!” Rarity cried. While this was certainly normal under the best of circumstances, the fact it took her this long to say it was what made the statement have weight, enough to leave everyone silent once again.

This isn’t over… Corey rose from his seat slowly, unnoticed by everyone else in the room for the moment.

“There has to be a way…” Twilight strained, trying every possible thought that came to her, but there was none.

This isn’t over.

“There just has to…”

This isn’t over!

“Where do we go from here?” Twilight asked, turning to the group. She hadn’t noticed that Corey had stood up, “Someone… please… give me an idea…”

Corey wasn’t even aware of when his thought turned to words. Up until that moment, he hadn’t even been aware he’d moved closer to the group. Yet, the sudden realization didn’t stop him from finishing the thought.

“We do what we’ve always done,” Corey said. Everyone looked at him as though they’d just realized he was even there, “We fight back.”

There was a heavy silence again. John stood up, turning to address Corey himself.

“Corey,” Corey turned to see John, who still didn’t look convinced, “You can’t be serious… Don’t you know what’s going on at all?”

“I do,” said Corey, turning slightly, “But I’d rather die than give up…”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Twilight asked, “You were close to doing that already!”

“I know I sound crazy right now, but I don’t care,” Corey said, “I’ve seen so many things since coming here, and I’ve been told a lot of things you’ve done. And what I got from all that? This isn’t the first time you’ve had these Element things stolen!” The whole time he spoke, he paced, looking around at everyone, “Even now, you haven’t had to use them so far! All the prisoners so far we’ve beaten in the end, no matter how bleak things seemed! We did that because we fought together! Sure, things look bad now, and yeah, a few of us cut it close, but that’s it! We haven’t died! We lived to see tomorrow!

“So what’s different now?” Corey stopped in his tracks, looking back and forth between John and the others, “Why can’t we rise to the occasion one more time?”

“We may have dealt with some stuff before, but not like this,” said Applejack, “Norma, whoever she is, threw us into somethin’ she calls a game, all for her enjoyment. Lives don’t even matter to her…”

“I haven’t dealt with anything like this before either. In fact, I haven’t even had to deal with this stuff, period, before,” Corey said, “I won’t lie. These past days have been the most terrifying days I’ve had. And every time something happens, I’m always thinking about the worst.”

“And what? That’s suddenly changed?” John asked.

“No, it hasn’t,” Corey said, “But I’m not letting it control me anymore. I’m going to keep going until all this is done.”

“But we might not even have the strength for it!” Rainbow said, “The guys who attacked us had us on the ropes, from what I’ve heard! And that’s not even getting into how strong Norma is! She’s strong enough to have them under her thumb, but that’s all we know!”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Corey said, “But you’re looking at someone who didn’t even know about runes, magic or runic magic! I know a couple of you have had similar problems—a lack of power, but now we’re all able to contribute, to get even stronger! All we need to do is to grow, to adapt one more time, and we’ll meet this challenge!”

A small sense of relief entered the room. At least, until one last consideration came up.

“That’s all true, Corey,” Twilight said, “But there’s just one small issue… time. With the Elements in their hands, they could attack at any minute. Whatever’s kept them from attacking so far, I don’t know, but it might be gone now. Even if we were given a set amount of time to prepare, what’s stopping them from launching another surprise attack?”

Again, the reality hit like a ton of bricks. Corey paused, stumped.

“That’s right. We do need time…” Corey said, “And probably a lot more of it than we’ve gotten before. But how are we going to get Norma to just back off?”

The sound of motion got everyone’s heads to turn. John stood up as well, and walked towards them. There was a new spring in his step. It definitely hadn’t fully returned, but he looked a bit better than he’d looked before.

“That, I think I know,” John said, “We simply call in a time-out.”
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Norma stood in her chambers, watching as the last of her screens went away. With things the way they were, there really was no need to keep up spying any longer. The book was back in her hands, secured firmly under her arm. The Elements of Harmony were stored elsewhere in the caves, kept for her later demonstration. At last, a few screens were all that remained, and they observed the interior of Canterlot Castle.

“Just you wait, Princess Celestia,” said Norma, “Wait until you see what I’ve got…”

“Who would have guessed the Elements of Harmony, their only superweapon, was stored away in a library?” asked Storm Claw, “A bold move, but I wonder… why were they kept there?”

“I can’t say for sure,” said Kronos.

“Very nice find, though,” said Norma, continuing to watch the screens, “With the Elements in our grasp, there’s no need to drag things out any longer.”

“Then…?” Storm Claw asked.

“You may be getting your rematch sooner than you anticipated,” said Norma, slowly looking over her remaining pieces, “The same goes for you, too…”

Slayer, still in the healing orb, floated along. He didn’t say anything in response, just continued to be silent.

“Not very talkative after what happened, huh?” asked Storm Claw, “I don’t understand how that unicorn gave him so much trouble…”

Slayer snarled in his orb. “When I get done with that ‘Corey’—“

“Temper, temper,” said Norma, “Save it for after your victory.”

A silence hung over the chamber, as Norma sneered back at the screens.

“Your peace is about to crumble, Princesses,” Norma said, “At sunset, you, and your pawns, will understand the end is nigh!”
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This time, when everyone left, it wasn’t to relax, but to once again prepare for the inevitable confrontation. Whether or not the plan would work remained to be seen. Once again, Corey found himself back in regular clothes. And once again, he was back in the study room. At this point, all chance of relaxing had vanished once again. Corey was still pacing, his nerves firing on all cylinders.

It probably comes down to this, thought Corey, If this works, then we’ll get some extra time. But there’s no guarantee that Norma’s going to back off. Then there’s what I’m going to have to do during that time…

His left shoulder twitched near-painlessly, his subconscious reminding him of his own plans before the final battle began. In fact, that was all that passed over him, a subconscious memory. Corey paused mid-step, feeling confused. Something in his memory called to him each time he’d ruminated on the plan, and only now did he really stop to think on what all it could have been.

I haven’t felt so… resolved… in a while, Corey thought, looking out the window. It wasn’t too much longer until sunset came, I’m nervous, but not just for what’s to come from here. Why do I already have some kind of prep in mind when I don’t even know if I’m going to get the time for it?

“Corey?”

Corey’s concentration broke, and he turned. Twilight had appeared in the doorway, back in her usual attire.

“Somehow,” Twilight said, “I had a feeling you’d be in here.”

“It’s where I did most of my thinking since all this started,” Corey took a few steps towards her now. Twilight walked towards him as well. It was only now Corey focused again completely and realized she had a somewhat warm look on her face.

“We’ve all got a lot to think about right now,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “This is probably the last time we’ll have time for it, either way.”

“Too true, too true,” Corey nodded, “It all comes down to whether or not John pulls through on his end. He’s given it his all before, but I don’t think he’s ever gone toe-to-toe with a sadist of any kind.”

“He seemed sure that he could,” Twilight said, “And I’m going to believe in him.”

“So am I,” Corey said, “So am I.”

Twilight tilted her head, as though Corey had said something odd. However, she sighed a little bit. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, considering what happened to you. But I’m still wondering…how?”

“How…?” Corey parroted, scratching one cheek.

“How you came out of nightmares that were designed to hone in on your worst fears and bring them to life…” Twilight said, “It’s very hard to imagine you came out of all that better than you did before. But…but…”

Twilight fidgeted awkwardly in place, and Corey stepped forward in response, wondering what would be the appropriate gesture only after he got within arm’s length of her. Twilight responded for him, pulling him into a tight hug, which Corey reciprocated after a moment’s worth of surprise.

“I...I’m glad you somehow came out of it,” Twilight said, “You gave us hope when we thought we’d lost it, when we needed it the most! I’m…I’m happy to see you’re not hurting anymore…that you’ve found a light yourself. One you can believe in…”

Corey’s mind went into automatic. He blinked, his subconscious fully able to reach far into the back of his mind. He closed his eyes for just a moment, but a flash of memory hit him. A dark tunnel with a light…a hand on his shoulder…a meditation room or something—

“Seek out the light! Let it guide you to who you really are inside!”

“Light… light!?” Corey’s mind recoiled in shock. Twilight’s body did the same as she pulled herself away from him now, looking him in the face. His eyes were distant, staring off into space. His body started to tremble a bit.

“Corey?” Twilight asked, “Corey, are you okay?”

Corey’s ear flicked a bit, and he shook his head a bit, coming out of the haze that had passed over him. His ears folded down. The chance encounter, the early wakeup, what had happened to him? It all added up to one thing.

“Twilight…” Corey said, “I don’t think John’s the one who saved me…”

“W-what are you talking about, Corey?” Twilight asked, blinking in shock, “H-he defeated Kurama, he ended his curse…”

“But I woke up a whole day before Rarity or Rainbow managed it. I was the first one of us,” Corey said, “Yet the only thing I remembered was jolting awake to find it…but now I think I know what happened to me.”

“T-then… please, tell me,” Twilight said.

“I… I think I was saved by…by Esper Wisdom himself,” Corey said, running one hand down one side of his face. Twilight blinked, the name ringing a bell.

“The owner of the book?” Twilight asked, “But… isn’t he…Aren’t all of the ponies listed in the back of the book…”

“I thought the same,” Corey said, “But Esper—if it was him, anyway—he seemed to be in a rush. He yanked me from the depths of despair, and managed to remind me of why I’d even bothered doing anything. He’s probably the reason I’ve come to terms with everything… and the reason I’m alive right now…”

Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. The implications of all this sent her mind spinning. Was magic like this even possible? How could Esper still be alive? And if it was really him, or even if it wasn’t, how had he been able to rescue Corey from a curse she couldn’t break? Had he managed to rescue Corey just before he… well… succumbed? Corey hardly sounded like he believed it himself. When she considered the circumstances of it all, it seemed to add up, but still…

“I guess I shouldn’t second-guess miracles so much,” Twilight shook her head, mildly smiling.

“It was weird, though,” Corey said, once again spacing off, “He managed to remind of why I chose to fight in the first place, but…”

“But what?” Twilight asked.

“He said one more thing before sending me back to… to my body,” Corey paused, not really believing it himself, “He told me to ‘seek out the light’, and let it guide me.”

“What did he mean by that?”

“He didn’t really say…” Corey said, “But… but!”

A second memory returned to him. The whole reason the message existed in the first place.

“You remembered something else?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I did…” Corey nodded, “I… I know why I got the message that sent us here to begin with, the message that started all this…”

Twilight and Corey released each other, looking to one another.

“Esper…no, Esper, and several others from the sound of it… They needed help!”
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It was time for sunset once again. Sleep wasn’t on Celestia’s mind this time. She’d heard reports of the attack on Ponyville, and more or less what had happened. Though everything had seemed to work out in the end, she couldn’t shake the helplessness and anger that boiled every now and again under the surface, only fully expressing itself ever so often. Her hands had been tied since this all began.

It was the same for her sister, who was currently elsewhere, maintaining the lockdown in Tartarus to ensure there were no further escapes. So, currently, just like it had been for a thousand years of her life, it was her that cycled the day and night on her own. Whether or not it was the prisoners’ leader’s intent to remind her of that time of her life, it didn’t change the memories that ever so often would sneak up on her.

The sun finally completed its arch, guided by her magic. There was a brief pause, before the night sky began to show up. Celestia’s magic color did not change, her horn continuing to flare as the moon rose in place of the sun. As soon as the night sky filled with stars, Celestia paused.

Be safe, sister, she thought to herself, just as she did each night and each day. Her ear flicked in response to a faint scratching noise, and she turned on instinct, already knowing what was coming.

“Little do you realize,” said a voice Celestia knew all too well; that filtered voice had mocked her at every turn, and today was no exception, “The sun is setting on more than just Equestria tonight.”

Celestia was not surprised by what she saw. A small rat made out of what looked like clay scurried into view, and produced a hologram of the leader, whose name was “Norma” at the very least. Their hood was still up, but it was easy enough to see the sneer underneath it.

“Care to elaborate?” asked Celestia, trying her hardest to mask her fear. Norma remained utterly composed, and gave a small nod to her left at someone unseen.

“Shall we have a look at the board?” Norma asked, lifting her hand. A panel appeared behind her, a video feed from earlier today. Celestia blinked as she registered that she was looking at the inside of Golden Oaks, where everyone looked positively defeated. Yet, they were all alive, not one looked as though they were going to keel over in an instant…

What happened? Celestia thought.

“Your pawns, though still alive, hardly resemble what they were,” Norma said. An unseen being entered from Norma’s left, something concealed in his arm. Norma extended her hands out to her sides, her sneer growing as she floated six very important things in an arch above her: the Elements of Harmony. Celestia’s heart sank.

“Those…How did you get those?” Celestia asked, trying very hard not to raise her voice to draw alarm from the standing guards. The last thing she needed was for widespread panic to start.

“During the raid, of course,” Norma said matter-of-factly, levitating them out of sight, “I’ll enjoy keeping these trinkets for myself once this is all over, and it will be over soon. After all, that was the one thing that stopped me from attacking all-out until now. And they’re now in my hands.

“I could strike at any moment from any location, and you’ll have naught but your broken pieces to play. And one by one, they’ll be struck down!” Norma swept her hands downward to emphasize.

Celestia stood, transfixed. She had a point. Norma was correct here. There were still options she had left, but at this point, would it even work? The enemy’s leader had single-handedly wrenched open the gates herself, and that was likely when she was still at her weakest. Somehow or other, she had convinced the other breakouts to work for her, likely under threat of death, given what happened to the “pieces” of hers that failed.

Norma paused for a moment. “Unless of course, you’d choose to surrender now. Maybe I’ll spare them, keep them as my prize as well. Something to always remind myself and anyone who dare stand against me of what the end result will be.”

Celestia bit her tongue. Surrender wasn’t an option here either.

“What?” Norma asked, “No remark? No retort to my generous offer? I’m giving you the chance to save them, so they can live on as my personal playthings…”

Again, nothing. However, this time it wasn’t because Celestia didn’t have a retort. It was because she was distracted by something. The leader’s face—what little she saw of it—contorted in confusion.

“Lady, you have some problems.”

How John had crept up on the scene, neither of them knew. The rat turned, allowing Norma to regard the newcomer. As the hologram turned, Celestia could have sworn that for a few moments that her jaw had seemed to slacken ever so slightly.

“You and I need to have a talk…” John said, stepping forward completely.

Author's Note:

And here we go. Not much else to say, I guess.