//------------------------------// // Act 3 Chapter 1 // Story: Collision Code // by SSJRandomMaster //------------------------------// Act III: Collision of Wills Chapter 1: To the Frozen North ------------------------------------------ The train had long departed from its station and was heading north. It was still a long, long trip between Ponyville and the Crystal Empire, though. Looking out the window of the train, Corey could only wonder what happened. The others all sat in various spots around the train car. John stood against one of the walls, tapping his arm with one of his claws.   Still can’t believe this happened, Corey thought, Maybe they targeted Cadance because Shining got involved.   Corey watched the scenery pass. While it still looked relatively warm outside, soon, it would look very frosty.   “I still can’t believe Fluttershy wanted to stay back!” Rainbow said.   “It’s not like we can blame her, Rainbow,” Applejack said, looking over to her, “She felt she wasn’t cut out for this whole thing. Even more so than she probably felt every time we went up against the odds…”   “But we came out on top before,” Rainbow protested.   “Much as I dislike it, you have to understand that were not going to change her mind,” Rarity said simply.   ‘Well, I—“ Rainbow would have continued speaking, but she didn’t get the words out. The doors to the front of the car opened, and all heads turned. Shining walked through, still looking mad.   “Shining!” Twilight called out.   “Like I thought,” Shining said, “We pretty much have the back of the train to ourselves.”   “That said,” Twilight said, “I think we should tell the others what we know of what happened.”   “Yeah,” said Rainbow, “Not like we could really talk about it earlier anyway. Still needed to keep the whole thing under wraps.”   Shining hesitated for a moment, his eyebrows arched. Twilight looked over to him, concerned. However, he managed to compose himself, and cleared his throat.   “What I’m about to tell you isn’t easy to say,” Shining said, “But since we’re all on our way up there, you need to know this. Cadance was…she was attacked by an unidentified assailant…in the Crystal Palace earlier today.”   An unsettling silence settled over the car, as those that hadn’t already read the letter tried to process what they had heard. John shifted, his eyes now looking directly to Shining; same with everyone else. Corey slowly closed his eyes, already knowing that much.   Why her? Corey thought, Weren’t the other princesses aside from Twilight not allowed to be involved?   “But how…?!” Rarity gasped, her eyes wide.   “Shouldn’t the guards have done somethin’ about some crazy pony!?” Rainbow asked, alarmed.   “They should have,” Shining said, “We don’t know everything, but somehow, he’d managed to get in the palace itself. There was a brief struggle. Cadance managed to ward off the assailant, but she didn’t completely get away unscathed.”   “How bad was it?” Applejack asked.   “She did get injured, but it didn’t say much more than that,” said Shining.   There was another uneasy silence that followed, no one knowing what they could say. Eventually, someone spoke up.   “Was there anything else?” asked Rainbow, standing up straight.   “No, that’s it,” Shining sighed, “We weren’t told much else. All we can do is wait until we get there…”   Shining turned away, looking out the window to his side. He could see his own reflection in the glass. He could see the unease he was feeling clear as day—an unease crafted from knowing his wife had been attacked. Not just that, but the fact he wasn’t there at her side, again, when it happened. It was hard on him, but all he could do now was wait. Wait, and hope to get back at whoever it was that did that to her. ----------------------------------------- After being briefed on what had happened at their destination, the group was left with little options on what to do. It would take the rest of the day to get there, so until then, they had to try to pass the time. Most had decided conversation was the best option, choosing to keep it light-hearted to at least give them some relief of the tension that was in there.   Others, however, found it hard to sit still. Rainbow Dash had boasted on at least two occasions she could beat the train there. Shining was another one suffering from the wait; the information on the attack was so limited he didn’t even know if his wife was alright. All he could find comfort in was the fact Cadance’s condition wasn’t critical—else, it might have been noted.   Another was Twilight. Cadance wasn’t just her foalsitter from when she was young. She was also like the sister she never had, even before the wedding. She looked up to her, and a small part of her aspired to be like her. Now someone had just attempted to take her life—she’d be lying if she said this didn’t bother her.   Last but not least was Corey. Of everyone else, he had remained the quietest. He couldn’t simply flush away what had happened to Cadance out of his mind. He shifted about in his seat, and more than once he had placed his hand on the wall. Unable to sit still, Corey found himself walking to the end of the car, exiting through the back door. Though they were the only ones there at the moment, Corey had thought he’d managed to slip out without the others noticing. But he was wrong. At least one of them had saw him exit.   Corey leaned on the guard railing, fiddling with his glasses with one hand.   How’d this all happen… Corey thought, The Gates of Tartarus breaking open, a psychopath challenging us to a game…an actual attempt on the life of Cadance—Twilight’s family…This just isn’t the world I thought I knew…   Corey’s ear flicked. Over the sound of the wheels clattering down the rails and the air passing around him, he could just make out the sound of a doorknob being turned. He turned, still keeping his hand on the rail.   John stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He turned briefly to it, seemingly to make sure no one else followed him. He took one step forward.   “Corey,” John said, “Something on your mind?”   “What do you think, John?” Corey’s eyebrows pinched downward, and his voice gained a disproportionate amount of annoyance in it. He blinked, fiddling with his glasses, “Sorry…”   “It’s about what happened with Cadance, isn’t it?” John asked.   Corey sighed, “Not just that. It’s everything that’s happened since we got here.”   “Not exactly how you’d imagined living here would be?” John walked toward Corey, eventually standing at the guard rail next to him. Corey gave another sigh.   “Well, yes, and no…” Corey said, “I mean, of course you’d expect crazy stuff like this to happen, but it’s not this extreme,” His arm flared up, and Corey rubbed at it, “We could have died, you know. And now Cadance was attacked by an assassin. You know just as well as I do that it’s probably another escaped prisoner behind it!”   “I didn’t think they could actually have this kind of hell in this world,” Corey continued, looking out into the distance, “It’s different, and far more dangerous, than what the powers-that-be in our world had to do deal with. Everything looks so peaceful here, but I never thought that vicious criminals like this could be here. They’re no different than the ones back home. It just stands out so much more here…”   John raised an eyebrow. This was starting to sound very familiar, but he didn’t say anything. Corey kept right on going, tapping the knuckles of one hand on the railing.   “To think that creatures this vile could be running around out there, ready to kill. It’s sickening to think about; either here or back home. People like that…can’t be allowed to go on!” Corey struck the rail hard enough to cause a noise with the side of his fist, “It’s even worse here…back home you have people in power who lie, you have people killing each other over nothing, and you have people using a mask to torment others. No matter where I go, I see sacks of crap…” Finally, Corey leaned against the railing, eyes closed. He removed his glasses, rubbing at his closed lids, “Vaccums of what’s good in a world…that’s all they are…”   John frowned. He knew the warning signs when he saw them. And all that was a pretty big warning sign. Yet, at the same time, John noticed something else. Even though the signs were there, there was still something missing.   “You know I’m surprised,” John said, leaning on the railing.   “About what?” Corey asked, turning to him.   “I’ve known you for a few years now, Corey,” he said, “And in those years, I’ve learned something about you: that you are an angry little fellow.”   John smirked; Corey stared over to John, one brow arched.   And just where’s he going with this? Corey thought, waiting. After a bit more silence, John let out a small chuckle, turning his head up.   “Or at least, you used to be,” he said, “We haven’t been here long, yet in the short time we have, you’ve become someone different. And not in a bad way. I’ve seen you get even angrier at things that don’t even compare to what we’re dealing with now, in no way. Sure, you’re not happy about it, but I can tell you’re trying to keep yourself calm, at least. That’s leagues better than what the old you could manage.”   The two went silent after this once again, the only sound around them being the clanking of the rails against the wheels and the wind rushing past the train. All the while, Corey mulled over John’s words. He knew for a fact John was right; he had gotten angry over the game, but even then, he wasn’t nearly as angry as he should have been.   “I think this world has something to do with it,” Corey finally said, taking a couple of steps towards the door.   “What do you mean?” John questioned, stepping once away from the rail.   “The world itself,” Corey said, spreading his arms out, “The ponies who live here. Just seeing them somehow makes me feel calm. Shows me that even if there are a few dark corners to it, I can still rely on the majority of the light.” With one final sigh, Corey looked up, seeing that the sun was close to setting.   “Bet Twilight was a big help…”   “You have no idea…sometimes, she just knows how to help me calm down when I’m getting frustrated,” Corey smiled, allowing himself to think back to all the times she had. It would have been an entirely pleasant experience had it not been for one simple noise.   A snicker, coming from John. Corey looked up towards him to confirm this, and saw that John was in fact covering his mouth, trying not to laugh. Only then did Corey realize what he said, and how it could be interpreted.   “Walked right into that one…” Corey groaned, applying his palm to his face. ------------------------------------------ Back inside of the train, Rainbow Dash had finally brought herself to take a seat right across from Twilight.   “How you holdin’ up, Twi?” she asked.   “Huh?” asked Twilight, having been staring out the window. She hadn’t even noticed that Rainbow had sat down, “Oh…Rainbow. I’m…I’m doing fine,” She smiled weakly, “All things considered.” She added as she went back to staring out the window. Rainbow could see the look in Twilight’s eyes; the worry that she had for Cadance was almost palpable. She had some idea of how Twilight was feeling. Had it been someone of her own family that had been attacked, she would have felt the same way for sure.   “You know we’re gonna find who did this, right?” asked Rainbow, getting Twilight’s attention once more, “And when we do, we’re gonna show them why you don’t mess with us.” To emphasize her point, Rainbow flexed her arm, clenching her fist. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle; Rainbow’s optimism never ceased to amaze her.   Seeing Twilight laugh was a start, but Rainbow had a feeling it wouldn’t last too long. She wanted to find a way to keep Twilight from worrying, even if only for a few more minutes. It was a wonder she didn’t think of that diversion sooner, but now seemed as good a time as any to use it.   “You know, I never asked,” Rainbow said, “How’s it feel to be a teacher?”   Twilight’s ears perched up a little at hearing this, and her smile grew stronger.   “Well, I would have preferred to it be under better circumstances, but it’s still nice to have somepony to share my knowledge with,” As she spoke, Twilight’s voice seemed to grow lighter, as did the look in her eyes, “And I probably couldn’t have asked for a better student. Corey’s a lot more open to learning than I thought. Not only that, but he put up with me when I started to overdo it a little,” Twilight rubbed at the back of her head, a sheepish chuckle escaping her as she remembered that first day.   “Hey, at least it paid off,” Rainbow said, “I mean, did you see the spells he used when he fought that lion guy!? Bet he could topple a house with that punching thing…and then there’s the spell that made him all buff…”   Twilight let out a small chuckle as she thought about that spell, remembering the first time she saw it up close.   “You should see it when he doesn’t have a shirt on,” As the words left her mouth, Twilight immediately realized the combination she’d uttered and clasped both hands over her mouth as tightly as she could. Her face immediately lit up red. But the deed had been done, and Rainbow had eaten up every single word.   “Without a shirt,” Rainbow grinned slyly, “You say?”   “I-I mean, if you happen to see him use it when he’s not wearing one, which I did!” Again Twilight caught what she said, and her face grew even redder, “N-not that I wanted to see him like that,” And that didn’t sound that good either, “N-not that there’s anything wrong with his body, because there’s not, I mean—“ Finally, Twilight decided it was best to give up. The heat coming off her face was dangerously close to starting a fire, it felt like.   “I’m just going to stop talking,” she said, covering her face and sliding down in her seat. Rainbow stared at the state Twilight had put herself in, one brow arched after hearing the whole display.   Whoa, she really has it bad… ------------------------------------------ The sun set, the moon rose, and soon, one by one, everyone was starting to turn in for the night. Corey and John had both long since rejoined with everyone in the car. Corey had pretty much remained close to the window he’d been staring out of the whole time, speaking to others as needed. In general, everyone seemed to want to talk about anything to get their minds off of what happened with Fluttershy or what happened to Cadance, at least for the time being.   Removing his eyes from the window once more, Corey looked around. He could probably count on one hand now how many of the car’s occupants were awake. Twilight still seemed to be awake, going over a book she’d brought with her for the ride, in the bed parallel to where he was sitting. Shining was standing up at the door, probably making sure everyone else went to sleep before he did, though his head was lowered.   Just about everyone else was sleeping soundly. As it turned out, the group actually had access to two cars in the back; the one just in front of the one Corey was in now was the one that contained most of the beds. Though, not everypony had made it safely to their beds. At the end facing the door to the “balcony” of the caboose was John, who was slouched over in a sitting position, and Rainbow Dash had clearly fallen asleep with her back to his.   Corey blinked as he registered this fact, but didn’t bother trying to point it out to anyone. He looked around the car again. Corey was just about to get up to prepare to go to sleep himself, when Twilight looked up towards him. Barely registering this fact in time, Corey managed to look back at her.   Neither of them said anything of note, just staring to one another as though trying to get the other to say something. Eventually, though, Twilight broke first.   “Corey?” Twilight asked, “You’re still up?”   “Y-yeah,” Corey said, rising from his seat, still looking over to her, “Not tired yet.”   “Oh, I see,” Twilight almost put her nose back into the book she was reading as Corey walked over to her, but she managed to keep looking over to him, “Um…it’s a long ride.”   “Yes,” Corey said, looking away for a moment, And not even a Game Boy around to keep my attention until I fall asleep…   “Don’t you have anything to read?” Twilight said, taking a quick glance to the book she was reading.   “Well, uh, no…” Corey said, “I wasn’t really thinking about…”   “Well,” Twilight said, nodding towards the book floating in front of her, “I’m just starting this book. Maybe….maybe we could read it together?”   Corey blinked, initially unsure of whether or not to accept. It really would have been awkward to be read to now, especially with John now being aware of what may or may not have been going on between Twilight and himself. But at the same time, he found it impossible to just say “no”.   “O…okay…” Corey said.   Twilight gave him another smile, and moved over in the bed to give Corey a little space.   “You won’t be sorry,” she said, though she quickly flinched as her arm rubbed a bit against his. The bed was just wide enough to contain the two of them, so they laid back in the bed, shoulder-to-shoulder, a glowing book hovering maybe half a foot, if that, away from their faces.   With the two as comfortable as they could be in their new position, Twilight decided to start reading in a hushed voice. Corey tried to keep up with her as she read it, though his speedreading habit was hard to let go of.   Eventually, Corey’s eyes began to get heavy. He didn’t even remember drifting off to sleep, a soft, slight weight resting on his shoulder…