Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 6: Try to Keep It Together
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Why did he always come back here? It seemed like it was only making him feel worse. Not that Corey was in the state of mind to realize that. He stood in the center of the room. The room finally looked a bit better, though the hole Cadance had made was still there. Looking out the hole, he could see nothing but gloss; he still had yet to retrieve his glasses.
One hand went to his face, followed by the other.
I feel awful… Corey thought, More than I already did before… John cares, it’s obvious he does. This is no different from how it was back home. Why…why can’t I keep calm? I was doing so well before…
Slowly lowering his hands, Corey glared out into the distance.
No. He knew full well why he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t simply stop himself from acting on his wrath. Even the tiniest of things could incite it, and each time he let off an angry tirade, Corey only felt worse afterwards. His anger, his vitriol, his utterly acidic words, always let out at the wrong people.
But here, it was different. John wasn’t a monitor away anymore; he was right there in front of him, and yet John still let him ramble on like a jaded old man until he was done. But this anger within him was far stronger than any of that, and he hated the feeling more than anything else.
What made all this worse was Corey’s inevitable regret when what he’d actually done hit him. He would realize he was in the wrong, just about every single time, but he was too weak to try to change himself.
And on top of all that, no matter how much I scream at John, no matter what I do with that journal, it doesn’t change what happened… Corey rubbed at the bridge of his nose as he felt his eyes start to sting a little, In the end, it was my ignorance that lead to all this…and to the monster that created the journal doing as he did…
The sound of movement registered behind him, and Corey lifted his arm reflexively, whirling around—
“Whoa, easy,” John raised his hands, “It’s me.”
Corey blinked, lowering his arm slowly. Had he been any more caught up in the torrent of self-loathing, he might have opened up another hole in the wall…
“John…?” Corey said, before releasing a half-hearted scoff, “What’re you doing? You should know by now—“
“Corey, I do know,” John said, “That nobody should talk to you until you’ve calmed down. But this time, I don’t think it’s going to be that simple…”
Corey sighed again, though due to how little sleep he’d gotten it came out like a yawn, “Is it ever?”
“Well, no,” John said, “But this time, it’s different. Compared to what you snapped over before, it’s night and day. Unlike before, where your anger was fueled by just ideas of something bad happening, this time, the evil has a face. It has direct influence on the world around you.”
“And it doesn’t help that I ran the code that caused all of it…” Corey raised one hand slowly, before letting it drop.
“No one’s blaming us,” John said, shaking his head, “We had no way to know that the code would have sent us here, let alone let criminals loose. They all understand that.”
Corey couldn’t respond. Maybe the lack of sleep had rusted his voice box shut for the moment, or maybe it was what John said.
“Plus, it’s not worth beating yourself up over,” John continued, “We’ve taken down one of them, and we can do it again, right?”
Corey didn’t answer again. Something was brewing inside of his skull, the sound of the bubbling drowning out most of John’s statements. He did understand, sure, that they had nothing to do with it in the end; they didn’t intend on any of this happening…but it didn’t erase his guilt. And it certainly didn’t erase that disturbing imagery.
“…you could have hit me, you know…”
Corey was immediately called out of his thoughts by John’s statement. Startled, he cocked his head up towards John, “What…?”
“You know,” John said, “Two characters get into an argument…then one of them starts swinging…”
Corey scoffed again, shaking his head, “Isn’t it usually the one acting like a douche that gets hit?”
“We’ll call that plan B…” John said, lifting one of his clawed fingers.
“Sure, sure…” Corey let out a groan as he started for the door.
“Hey, now where are you going?” John asked.
“I…still have a job to do…” Corey responded, leaning against the door frame as he passed through it, “And even though I lost a lot of sleep last night…and I can’t say I’ve eaten…I have to try to do my part…”
“But…” John said. Corey snapped his head back to look at John, exposing those same tired eyes that John had saw before. Behind them was a quiet flame, but John wasn’t quite sure if it was out of determination or anger. Or…
“I can’t rest…” Corey continued, “And neither should you…with a monster like that on the loose!”
Was it fear he saw in his eyes?
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It wasn’t long after breakfast that Twilight’s strategy was put into motion. Just as planned, everyone made their way to their stations. Pinkie and Rarity’s stations were closest to the front door of the palace—one of the most heavily guarded places. Rarity had to hand it to Twilight—in a flash, she’d managed to reorganize the entire guard inside to her specifications. Their goal was to be the second line to try and stop the assailant should he make it past the lookouts outside the walls.
On paper, it seemed foolproof. But no matter how sound a plan is, the effort would be rendered meaningless if those involved don’t do their jobs. And right now, Rarity was having doubts about that very thing. Sure, if the attacker was spotted, she’d have dozens of trained guards to help her, but that wouldn’t be easy. For somepony with the ability to disguise his appearance—he could be standing right next to her and she wouldn’t even know.
She also, at present, wasn’t sure where Pinkie had vanished to, and she had been standing next to her only moments ago.
“Psst, Rarity!” The voice was a sharp, peppy-sounding whisper; unmistakably Pinkie. Blinking, she realized the source was above her head. Looking up, she noticed Pinkie staring down at her.
Had it been any other day, she’d ask how Pinkie fastened a rope to the ceiling without any seeing, or when she’d changed into her spy outfit. But for now, she was glad at least one of them was able to do their job.
“Yes, Pinkie?” asked Rarity.
“Did you spot him yet?” Pinkie asked.
“No, Pinkie, not yet,” Rarity shook her head light, “Though, if he’s in disguise, I’m not sure what I would be looking for.”
Neither did Pinkie, and she was told specifically not to grill every guard in sight. If anything, their only chance to find an imposter would be by their activities. One way, everyone knew, would make it easier is simply keeping an eye on any and all exits. This was due to one rule everyone inside the castle had to adhere to, regardless of position.
Until the attacker shows himself, no one is allowed to leave their post.
So, until the next attack actually occurred, they all had to deal with the hardest part of all. Due to not knowing when the next strike would happen—within a few hours or even days—everyone had to deal with what would most likely drive some of them insane.
Watch and wait…
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If one managed to make it past Rarity, Pinkie, and over twenty guards out front, they would have to pass several more trained guards and navigate a maze of halls. The place Corey and Applejack were guarding was not Cadance’s room, but a room towards the center of the castle, one floor down. Each of them took up a spot on opposite sides of the door. Both stood in relative silence, only the sounds of guards on patrol and whatever Shining and Cadance were talking about in there as a sort of ambience.
“I wish he would show himself…” Applejack said, “Just standin’ around, waitin’ for him to make the first move…it’s killing me.”
She glanced over to Corey, who nodded twice. His glasses shone a bit as light glided across them, but other than that, he didn’t really respond. He also seemed to be slumping backwards against the wall. She looked around again, nervously watching.
There was a slight rumble close to her, and her ears perked up. The silence continued, but now Applejack was on high alert.
“Corey, did you hear that?” Applejack asked.
There was no response. The rumble grew louder, and only as she turned to where Corey was did she see where it was coming from.
Corey had slumped against the wall, his eyes shut, and he was dozing off. Applejack’s ears wilted and she ran a hand over her face.
“Is he really nappin’ right now…?” she asked, more dumbfounded than anything else. However, her confusion quickly turned, and, very briefly adjusting her hat, moved to wake him up. This wasn’t exactly helping anyone. As soon as she was close enough, she firmly brought her hand down on his shoulder, and began to shake him.
“Cor’, wake up,” Applejack said, “This ain’t naptime!”
“Agh!” Corey said, his eyes shooting open, his eyes looking no better than they did when he’d first got them. He staggered forward a bit after coming awake before shaking his head once again, “Sorry…Guess I didn’t sleep as well as I thought…”
More like didn’t sleep at all… Corey thought to himself, pushing up his glasses to rub at his very dry-feeling eyes. He straightened up his posture.
“You sure you’re feelin’ up for it?” Applejack asked.
“I really don’t have a choice,” Corey said, shaking his head, “Cadance is in the room behind us. We were both meant to stand guard here. Can’t just go off and do whatever. Besides, it’s against the rule anyway…”
“Guess you’re right,” Applejack said, taking a few steps back, “Still, don’t think it’d do us any good if you’re noddin’ off.”
“I know…” Corey said, “I know. It was just one bad night. I’ll manage somehow…” One of his hands smacked against his head as it slumped forward again, “I hope…”
Applejack looked as though she wanted to say more, but didn’t seem to want to press the issue. For whatever reason, Corey was grateful she didn’t want to pry just yet. He wasn’t sure if he could take it. However, as the minutes ticked on throughout the day, Corey had to wonder…
What’s Twilight doing right now…? For that matter, where is she?
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The outside of the castle appeared to be the least secure area. This, however, was an intentional flaw. Without the presence of several guards in the area, the civilians were able to move freely without having to worry about an increase in security. However, as they lived their lives, they were also completely oblivious to the set of eyes watching them carefully.
Atop the castle, hidden from sight, were two figures trying their hardest to keep their presence unknown.
“I hate waiting…” said a voice with a notable sigh. This, of course, was a clearly agitated Rainbow Dash.
“That makes two of us, but there’s not much we can do about that,” This was another voice, that of John. Though both sounded close to each other, neither one was visible. The higher areas of the castle were void of anything but the flawless surface of pure crystal. That is, until something began to shift and the crystal seemed to be rising from the ground. Now, it appeared to be made of silk cloth rather than hard rock.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” From under the material, Rainbow’s head popped out, turned to the spot right next to her. A larger part of the castle shifted in front of her, and John’s own head came into view, “Besides, why do we gotta hide? Aren’t we supposed to be the first line against this guy?”
“Because we don’t want to be the first one spotted,” John said. That was what Twilight had told them beforehand. It was the reason why they were stationed above the castle and why she’d had Rarity fashion a fabric that matched the castle itself so it could be used as a camouflage. The reason for all this was as John said—they had to be the first to spot the attacker.
One reason: they didn’t want to tip off the attacker that they were watching before they could even spot him. The other was that, if at all possible, they could drop down for a sneak attack before he could get too close. But while those were Twilight’s stated reasons, John had his own personal reason as well.
He didn’t mention what happened after he’d talked to Corey, merely saying that everything had smoothed over. With things so close to being set, John couldn’t bring himself to actually say what was worrying him. He still remembered—vividly, the look on Corey’s face right before he left, presumably to get his glasses. It was a look of pure, primal fear that John realized simply hadn’t been in his eyes before, at least, not that he’d seen. And because of that terror in Corey’s eyes, John felt himself growing afraid for a different reason.
He was terrified of the thought that Corey would find himself in the same room as the attacker.
I can’t let that happen… John thought to himself. That was why he was glad to have this post. He was fully prepared to give it his all; should he spot the attacker first, he planned to do all he could to take him down. So just as he did before, John continued to wait, his eyes scanning the surrounding areas for even the slightest thing out of place.
For a while, everything remained silent, something that was most likely common for the area. But that didn’t keep the thought out of the back of John’s mind. The thought—the fact that the silence would eventually be broken, and it was.
What the… John looked down to his feet. It was too brief for him to be sure, but he swore he felt something. Not just that, but he was sure he’d heard something too; a voice, maybe?
John looked over to Rainbow, but she looked as though she neither heard nor felt anything. Because of this, John began to question if he really did himself, or if it was just his nerves.
Was it nothing? John tried to convince himself so, but it continued to bother him. He felt something and heard something, but then it went silent again.
But what could it have been? What’s under us? Though John hadn’t seen every spot inside the castle, and he certainly didn’t have the best memory, he tried to map out the inside based on where he was now, The throne room is down that way…we’re around this corner…so then what room would that be…
The gears continued to turn in John’s head, hoping to figure it out soon. And soon it did—the gears finally clicked into place, and John’s eyes shot wide open.
“No!”
“John!?”
Without responding to her, John leapt from the roof, leaving a confused Rainbow behind. John dove until he was almost at ground level, then he flared his wings and charged for the front door…
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Corey and Applejack continued to guard their post, the former trying his best to keep his eyes open. But with everything being so quiet, that proved far easier said than done. But that changed when he began to hear a commotion coming from far down the pathway leading away from the room.
“He’s making his way down the hall!” a voice shouted in alarm.
Quickly, Corey and Applejack both snapped to attention, readying themselves. Corey’s fist began to crackle with runes as it began to glow green; Applejack’s lasso slowly began to whirl.
Within a few seconds, the sounds of doors banging open violently was heard not even ten feet away, and something quickly entered view.
“John!?” Corey said, but John didn’t respond, instead flying right past them, down the corridor.
“What’s he doin’!?” called out Applejack. Corey wasn’t sure himself. All he knew was that John had forced himself into the corridor without a word.
But then, where’s he--? Whatever the case, Corey’s eyes opened wide. John was supposed to be outside; the rules dictated he wasn’t supposed to be away from his post. So in the end, Corey leapt to only one conclusion, and his fist quickly uncurled, changing into an open palm.
“It’s him!” Corey’s magic flared violently in response to the intense emotion that bubbled inside him, and a powerful bolt of magic, only slightly smaller than his whole hand, burst forth from his palm. The beam soared at what Corey thought to be an impostor. It looked as though “John” would be nailed, right between the wings, but at the last second, he took notice.
With speed and luck, John ducked down out of the way, the bolt narrowly missing his wing. The bolt instead hit another door just beyond him, and caused a minor explosion. “John” was now firmly on the ground. Applejack and Corey charged him, both convinced they had their man.
But before they got too close, the door that Corey had hit finally crumbled down to nothing, along with some of the surrounding wall. This revealed a scene that nobody had expected to see. Inside was Twilight, down on one knee and bleeding. She wasn’t alone, either—not far from her, something was impaled to the adjacent wall, something obsidian black and unrecognizable to anyone. In an instant, it exploded in a flash of light, leaving everyone silent once more.
But this time, the silence wasn’t a lullaby to Corey. He stood there, his feet rooted to the ground in shock. He couldn’t have moved on his own even if he wanted to. He hadn’t heard a thing from this corridor, and he’d been standing no more than ten—maybe twenty feet from this room. And yet now that the door had been removed, he could only see a bleeding Twilight.
The others rushed to aid her, but Corey was completely numb to the world. One question repeated over and over again in his already guilt-ridden mind.
W-what happened…?