Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 35: Stepping Back, but Can’t Step Down
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Rainbow had lost sight of John within a few seconds after he took off, but she wasn’t worried about tracking him down. She’d known him for long enough to get a good idea as to where he had gone. It took her minutes to arrive, and only seconds to spot him, sitting where he had before at the top of the waterfall. His eyes were closed. The roar of the water covered the sound of her landing behind him. She took a moment to truly look at him. He was hunched over, his wings draped on the ground, and his head was tilted down in defeat. Letting out a sigh, Rainbow walked up next to him, quietly taking a seat beside him.
“I’m starting to sense a pattern here,” Rainbow said. John’s eyes opened slowly. In that moment, Rainbow could see that they had become slightly red. Now that she was right next to him, she could see that he was still holding on to what was left of his sweater.
“The one where I keep letting everyone down?” he asked, his voice sounding just as defeated as his body language suggested, “Maybe the part where no matter how hard I try, Kurama keeps slipping through my fingers.” As if to emphasize this point, a hard gust of wind blew past them, the force enough to cause the ashen remains of his sweater to scatter to the wind. He watched with furrowed brows as they scattered, soon becoming little more than a memory.
“When I learned Luna gave me this power, I thought I could make a difference. I thought that I could stop this before anyone’s lives could be at risk. And look where we are now: two of our friends are now trapped in eternal nightmares, one of which because of me. Many more are now on the list of victims because I wasn’t able to reach them in time, too.” Rainbow could see John’s fists tighten around empty air, “I can’t help but think she made the wrong choice. Maybe she gave it to me because she couldn’t reach anyone else in time. And if not, then all I’ve done is prove that any faith she had in me was misplaced…I’ve failed…”
Rainbow had listened in silence, waiting for the right moment to speak up. After that last sentence, however, she was done waiting. With crossed arms, she stood up and glared at him.
“Are you kidding me?” At this question, John looked up to her with a weak glance, absolutely no comprehension of what she was saying in his mind, “Last I checked, no one’s died yet, and you’re sitting here acting like they have!” Rainbow stepped forward, kneeling down to be eye level with John, “They’re still alive! They’re still waiting to be saved! Still waiting for you to swoop in at the last second and save them! Does that sound like failure to you?”
John didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned his face away and stared off into the distance again.
“You haven’t experienced it, Rainbow, the horror they’re going through right now. When I’m in their head, when I’m struck by Kurama’s magic, I can feel it all. I don’t just hear their screams, I can feel their pain,” John began to tremble, “They’re suffering every second. They’re pleading for it all to stop, and no matter how much I want to, I can’t help them. It’s bad enough when I’m feeling it from someone I’ve never even met. But when it’s a friend, when it’s someone I personally promised wouldn’t get hurt… I’ve never felt so powerless.” John closed his eyes tightly. Rainbow could just make out a tear forming.
“Before I came to this world, I didn’t have all this. I wasn’t strong, and I wasn’t brave. I was just another average human among billions. But then I woke up here. When I’d realized what I became and what I could do, for the first time in my life, I felt like I could make an impact. But now I see I was fooling myself…”
John finally stood up from his sitting position and looked down the waterfall, closing his eyes with a sigh.
“Nothing I do is going to make a difference. I’ll always be the same scared human I was back home.”
Rainbow looked at John’s back with an arched brow. She let out a sigh and moved towards him, offering little more than a shake of her head.
And then she pushed him.
John’s eyes opened wide as he realized he was falling. Letting out a short grunt, he gave his wings a hard flap, slowing his descent instantly. The water beneath him rippled from the wind he’d caused. Looking down at his own reflection, John let out another sigh. He wasn’t particularly up for getting wet right now.
“Nothing, huh?” Rainbow asked, descending until she was on the same height he was, “A month ago, you would have fell headfirst into the water.”
John opened his mouth to say something, but the word he tried to say broke off in a huff as Rainbow immediately rushed him with a flurry of kicks and punches. Though John was caught off-guard, he still managed to back away, blocking some of her attacks.
“A month ago I’d be kicking your butt!” He wasn’t sure where any of this was going, but he didn’t want to keep blocking. Flapping his wings, John dashed away from Rainbow and into the field of trees for cover. But Rainbow was fast on his tail, keeping up with him as they dodged every trunk that came their way.
“You used to be so slow Fluttershy could beat you in a race!” Finally, both changed their direction and shot up into the skies above, clearing the clouds within a few seconds. When they finally stopped, they took a moment to catch their breaths.
“What’s the point of all this?” John finally asked.
“I’m trying to make you see how far you’ve come. When you and Corey first came to this world, you couldn’t do much of anything. Corey didn’t even know he had magic at all. And you could barely control yourself enough to talk. But in a short amount of time, you’ve both managed to improve to the point where you were on par with the rest of us. You both put everything you had into it and refused to give up. You’ve both proven you can do anything if you put your mind to it. So why’s this any different?”
“Because…!” John started. John finally managed to compress himself, letting out a sigh before starting again, “Because for the first time since we got here… for the first time this game started, I’m scared. Not just of what these prisoners can do, but of what could happen if I can’t stop them. And if I don’t stop Kurama soon… I may very well lose my best friend,” John placed both hands on his head, taking in a deep breath. “And I know I was turned into some super durable dragon, but that’s just my outside. On the inside, I haven’t changed. I’m still the same person I was in my world… someone who panics the moment things get out of his control.”
John was wrapped up in his own thoughts, and didn’t see Rainbow flying closer to him.
“You think you’re the only one?” Rainbow asked. John looked up to see her staring at him with furrowed brows, her voice filled with understanding, “Believe me, you aren’t the only one. We all are. And we know it’s hard to admit that. But that’s why we have each other, because when we’re afraid, we can see that we aren’t alone, and that lets us push forward.”
To John’s surprise, she closed the gap between them even more, wrapping her arms around him.
“Your real problem is trying this alone because you’re afraid of what could happen to us. If you keep doing it, you’ll just end up hurting yourself more than anyone else. You may be the only one who has the power to go in and out of dreams, but you don’t have to fight alone. We’ve got your back, just like you’ve had ours.”
Rainbow’s words sunk in as John felt himself relax, slowly wrapping his own arms around her as well.
“I don’t know how to beat him…”
“We’ll find a way,” Rainbow said, “There’s always a way.”
John’s eyes opened, remembering the first time he’d heard those words. He’d heard them from someone who was also questioning his abilities at the time, something that pushed John to keep trying. Right now, the very person who’d said it to him needed his help in return.
“You’re right, Rainbow,” he said, “And I think I might have found one.”
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After John and Rainbow had departed, Twilight and the others made their way back to the library. With Kurama having escaped again, there was little else to do but try and find him again.
“Can’t you find him with that spell you put on him?” asked Applejack. Surely if the spell was still active, then Twilight would be capable of finding it, right?
“I tried that after he disappeared. I’m not sure what he’s going but he’s scrambling the signal. All I can say for sure is that it is still in effect. More importantly, it’s still affecting him,” Twilight responded. It was a small victory, but given the situation anything was better than what they had before on him.
“What exactly does the spell do, anyway?” asked Fluttercruel.
“The spell was created to be a sort of capture device. Think shackles, only made out of magic instead of iron. It doesn’t just hinder his movements. Its main purpose is to hinder his magic. That’s why I needed those empty gems,” Twilight explained, “So I could store his magic in it and use it against him. It’s tricky, but I managed to turn his own magic against him. Until I dispel it myself, he’ll continue to feed the gem with his own magic, which will in turn continue to keep his in check, but only so much.”
The others had to hand it to Twilight: when it came down to it, she was capable of creating incredible things.
“But we still got the same problem we had before,” said Applejack, “He’s still hidin’ and buildin’ his magic. Even if your spell makes him weaker, he’ll still get stronger at some point.”
Twilight bit her thumb. She knew that very well, but to date she still couldn’t counter that… not unless she could somehow cut everyone’s link with him in the dream realm, something she wasn’t sure was possible, at least not to her knowledge.
“You’re right. He’ll keep gaining more power, and I can’t stop that. There’s only so much any of us can do right now,” Twilight said, “But that’s why we have each other, because for every one of us that can’t do, we have the others to fill that gap.”
“Wish I’d learned that a long time ago,” Everyone turned at the sound of the familiar voice. John and Rainbow had arrived. Everyone took stock of his appearance. He wasn’t in the same state he was before, but they could tell that he wasn’t fully recovered either. There was a moment of silence. John could see the worry in their faces.
“Look, everyone, I’m sorry,” he said, “And not just about my recent moods. Fact is, I’ve been trying to shoulder all this alone since Kurama showed up, too afraid of what might happen to anyone if I slip up. In the long run, all I did was more damage than anything…” John rubbed the back of his head and sighed, “Not only that but it’s pushed me close to the edge…closer than I’ve ever been in my life, and I’m not sure what will finally push me over.”
“Then maybe you should try slowing down? Pace yourself a little?” Twilight suggested, but John shook his head.
“That’s the one thing I can’t do. We all know we’re almost out of time… and slowing down now would only put everyone else in even more risk than they are already,” Though they wished he’d reconsider, they knew he was right.
“I don’t think you have much of a choice, really,” said Applejack, “We won’t be able to do much of anythin’ if he’s back in hiding,” To that, however, everyone noticed a smirk appear on John’s face.
“You guys might wanna hear this,” said Rainbow.
“This is something I didn’t pay much mind to when I was fighting him back at the apple fields. But after I finally calmed down, I started to make connections. The night Rarity got taken, I managed to do something I hadn’t to Kurama. I managed to land a clean hit on him, and he lost a tooth,” John smirked for a moment. Even the others found some relief in the news that he had actually been hit once or twice. John kept going on.
“I didn’t think it mattered at first because it was just a dream. But that changed when I saw him in the real world. I noticed he had some bruises, something I thought might have happened because of other battles he’d been in. But there was an injury that stood out: he was missing the same tooth I’d knocked out in the dream.”
Everyone stared at him with a quizzical expression. It had to be a coincidence, right?
“It’s like he was getting hurt in a dream, but how…?” Twilight pondered. As realistic and frightening as dreams and nightmares could be, there was never a report of someone actually getting hurt from one. Yet, that seemed to be happening to Kurama, who, like John and Luna, was capable of jumping between dreams. But how? What was so different about him that could cause it to be that way?
We still don’t even know how he can jump between dreams in the first place, as Twilight thought, she found herself drawn back to her books. They were still opened to sections about his kind. In those various books, there were two words that had appeared several times: Fox Spirit.
Spirit… spirit… Twilight’s eyes opened and she let out a small gasp in realization.
“That’s it!” She called out, catching the others’ attention. They watched as she ran to the chalkboard and cleared it of any notes, “I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed this before… it all makes sense now!”
On the board, she drew a large blob, which she labeled “Dreams”, and below it, she drew a laid down Kurama.
“Notice what?” asked Pinkie.
“Kurama isn’t just a fox. He’s also a fox spirit,” Though she knew what she was talking about, the others were still lost, “Think of how the ones we know are able to travel into dreams do it. Princess Luna and John are both capable of sending their minds into the dream realm, and manipulate it. We would think Kurama is able to do the same, and yet Princess Luna states that he shouldn’t without her permission. So what else is he sending to the dream realm, then, if it’s not his mind or body?”
“His soul…” All heads turned to Fluttercruel, and then back to Twilight.
“Exactly, he’s sending his very soul into the dream realm, crafting himself another body. This allows him to venture into the realm against Luna’s wishes. But because he’s using his soul to jump between dreams, it’s still connected to his real body.”
“So whatever happens to his soul will transfer to his body as a result,” John finished, relief hitting him as it seemed his hunch was correct, “So that’s why he’s always on the run in dreams. He’s in just as much danger in there as he is out here.” John nodded. This explained Kurama’s caution, his constant feeling, and his unwillingness to take a risk in the dreams, “This whole time, we thought he had the advantage. But he’s in a hole just like us, and we’re going to dig him deeper.”
“So!” John said, turning to Fluttercruel, “You still have birds on the lookout for Kurama, right?”
Fluttercruel offered a nod.
“So how big an animal do you think you can convince to help us?”
Fluttercruel crossed her arms and smirked, “How big do you need?”
John smirked as well.
“What do you have planned?” At Twilight’s question, John turned, the shadows in his mood seeming to lift now.
“It’s time for Kurama to struggle for a little while.”
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His body felt cold from hunger and burnt from his injuries. Kurama sat silently in a hole far removed from the farm. He hadn’t the strength to return to his cave in the Everfree, but luckily for him, his endeavor wasn’t a total loss. Looking down in his hands, he saw the fruits of his risk. Two apples, or rather half apples as parts of both had been cooked to an inedible crisp from his escape attempt. But right now, he wasn’t going to be picky. Without haste, he consumed both whole. He could feel the food slide down his throat and enter his stomach. As he was now, it was like he’d eaten the richest of foods.
But while it curbed his hunger, it was not enough. It wasn’t going to last him much longer beyond healing his wounds. Sticking his head out from his hiding spot, he saw that there was no signs of life. Carefully, he started to move, always on watch for anyone who he might get spotted by. He needed to get back to the forest, sure of himself that no one would dare enter it.
It seemed to be clear all through the way, the forest coming within view. All he needed to do now was take the path he had marked for himself until he entered his cave. But as he drew closer, as he felt that he was finally in the clear once more, he saw something was off. As he stared into the forest, he could see something was staring back at him. Several “somethings”, in fact, all in various sizes. They were all creatures from the Everfree, and they formed a line between it and the world outside.
“What??” he asked, taking steps back. He was still strong even with the magic currently hindering him. But the Everfree housed many vicious and dangerous creatures, and there was no telling how many of them he’d be able to match, nor was there a way to tell how many more were in there that he couldn’t see. He couldn’t go back; his best hiding place was no longer safe for him.
“But how?” he wondered, “What’s changed since I ventured away??”
Almost on cue, however, a bird landed in front of him, dropping something it had in its beak before flying away. Kurama stared at it for several seconds before kicking it up and undoing the string tied around it. It took him only a second to read the sentence written on it, causing his whiskers to stand on edge.
The ball’s in our court now; your move. –John
The letter burst into flames as Kurama walked away from the forest. He could feel himself being closed into a corner now, and he did not like it.
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Things had slowed down once again. Though Kurama was being sighted on several occasions, he hadn’t caused much damage. He was, however, getting away with small amounts of food here and there. The spell cast on him was also still holding strong. Twilight could still feel its effect taking hold on him. Even though he’d gotten away, it seemed as though their plan was slowly starting to work. This was very well the first moment in a while that she had been able to sit down and silence and relax a bit. It wasn’t for long though, because when she did, she remembered the reason why the library was silent in the first place.
If not for the soundproofing spell placed on her room, all corners of the library would be echoing with the screams of her friends. Not a moment went by when she didn’t think of them, thinking about what they could be possibly going through at that moment. She herself had gotten a small glimpse into it not long ago, but that was only a fraction of it. As she thought of this, she found herself staring at the stairs once again. She tried not to look towards it, but her eyes would always find its way to it for one reason or another.
The longer she stared up at the stairs, the more she started hearing the tortured screams. She trembled a bit, remembering their anguish. She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t stop herself, couldn’t bring herself to look away.
I… maybe someone should check on them…
She looked around, as though to find someone who could, but at that moment, she was alone in the room. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, rising from her seat and taking a hesitant step towards the stairs. She continued at this pace for several steps, several seconds of stillness before the next step was taken. The moment she reached the first step of the stairs, the wood creaked, causing Twilight to jump slightly. She looked down on it and let out a small sigh.
“Stalling isn’t going to make this any easier,” she said. Looking up to the top, she could see the door, the sight causing her to gulp lightly. She continued up the stairs, each creaking slightly underfoot, the door drawing closer with every second.
Soon, she’d reached the top. Now, she stood in front of the door, still able to feel the soundproofing spell placed on it. She held a trembling hand to her chest as she stared at the knob, knowing that the moment she turned it, she would hear the sounds again. Every time she’d heard it, there was no doubt it was worse than the time before. It wasn’t something someone could get used to, just something that could eat away at one’s heart endlessly.
Just a few seconds… that’s all. Twilight thought, bracing herself for the screams to come.
After a few seconds, she finally turned the door and slowly opened it, and just as she expected, the screams hit her. She winced from it, turning her head away as though to shield herself from it, if even a little. After a few seconds, she prepared to close the door again, but just before the door made contact with the frame, she stopped.
Wait… Twilight opened her eyes, turning her head back to the door. She stood there for a few tense seconds as she brought herself to listen closely to the screams. She could hear them, there was no doubt about that…
But she could only hear Rarity’s.
“Corey!” Her heart filled with fear, Twilight pushed through the door and into her room. The first thing she noticed was Rarity, still screaming, and still thrashing about. But then she saw the other, Corey, still laying on his bed. She felt her heart racing as she stared at him, noting that his screaming had stopped. To make matters worse, he wasn’t moving anymore, lying perfectly still on the bed.
“No…” She moved towards him, dropping to her knees as she reached the bed. She reached out to him and put a hand to his face.
“Cold…” Twilight was on the verge of flat-out hyperventilating, doing everything in her power not to think of the worse. Tears were beginning to swell up in her eyes as the truth started to hit her. But as it seemed like it had come to it, she saw something, a very slight movement from under his sheets. Wiping her eyes, she removed the sheet from over Corey and placed an ear to his chest. It was hard to hear because of Rarity’s screaming, but after a few seconds, she heard it.
“Still beating…” She pulled back and placed a hand on her own chest, letting out a sigh of relief before covering Corey again. But while happy that the worst hadn’t happened, she couldn’t ignore the obvious. His body temperature had fallen, he was deathly silent, and even though she could still hear it, his heart rate had weakened. She was warned this would happen, but she didn’t want to think about it. But she couldn’t deny it now.
“He’s…almost out of time…”