Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 41: Siege
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All of the ponies afflicted by Kurama’s curse had spent hours experiencing horrors specifically tailored to them. Each second felt like hours in a void of eternal anguish, the only relief they desperately wished for never coming. But that was not the only similarity that they all shared. As each experienced their endless nightmare, there was one thing they all saw.
From the corner of their view, something stood and watched, almost as though it was commanding what was happening from the sidelines. Never once could they see what it was, or what it looked like. It was always inches from sight and avoided direct view. It just stood there, just out of sight, mocking them with a deathly silence.
Over time, it grew bigger, stronger, and their nightmares would grow worse. But as their nightmares seemed to reach their peak, just as they believed the end was near, there was something else they saw. Someone, or something, appeared, was charging, but not at them; instead, it rushed the figure that stood. Almost simultaneously, they all saw as it drew closer to it, and they all watched as it shattered the figure, and the nightmare along with it.
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Nurse Redheart stood in the intensive care unit, dumbstruck. Until now, each time she’d entered the room she was met with nothing but dread. The screams of agony that came from all her patients had worn down her will. She wasn’t alone; all the other nurses and doctors in the hospital felt the same. But right now, that dread seemed to be vanishing. Without warning, all the screaming faded, and patients were starting to wake up.
“We’ve taken stock of the patients. Currently, those recently admitted are now awake. Those who had been here longer are still asleep. However, checking their vitals showed us that their health is improving and they’re sleeping peacefully,” Nurse Redheart looked down at the charts for several seconds, a smile spreading across her face.
“Thank Celestia,” she said, with a sigh.
“What we don’t understand is how it happened, it all just stopped without any previous signs,” Redheart chuckled, taking a moment to enjoy her first sense of laughter since the epidemic hit. Handing back the charts, she began to walk down the hall.
“Just like with every disaster that happens in this town… in the end, they always come through.”
Things in the hospital were finally picking up; hope had returned. All around, ponies were rejoicing to what looked like another save by Twilight and her friends. Unfortunately, this joy was not found everywhere.
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Aside from the frantic breathing from one of their own, the entire room had fallen deathly silent. Still on the ground, motionless, was Kurama. Fluttercruel’s fingers pressed against different spots on his neck, trying to feel for any sign of a pulse. Applejack looked down to the body and walked up to it.
“You sure he’s done for?” Applejack’s question wasn’t unjustified. Kurama had shown time and again how easily he could slip away if things weren’t going his way. She wouldn’t put it past him to fake his own death so that they’d drop their collective guard.
“I’m sure,” Fluttercruel stood up and joined Applejack as they stared down at the body. A sympathetic eye couldn’t be found. He’d caused so much pain and suffering to so many in such a short amount of time. And if he hadn’t been stopped, all of his victims would have died—a death toll none of them could have accepted. And yet, in the back of their minds, they couldn’t say that they’d have done this to him if given the chance. No matter how much they hated him, it was something that just wasn’t in their nature. That thought brought their thoughts to who had done Kurama in; regardless of his mental state, it was obvious he hadn’t planned on it.
“I wasn’t, I mean, I didn’t want to—“ John continued to ramble on, no end in sight, unable to even complete a full sentence. Twilight had seen this before; in fact, all of them in the room had seen this before. And if John didn’t snap out of it, he’d wind up in the same state Corey was at the start of all this. However, this time, someone had the perfect idea on how to snap him out of it.
Slap!
Everyone was shocked by what had happened; of all of them, Pinkie was the one to slap John across the face. “P-Pinkie, what are you--?”
“W-where am I?” Twilight blinked once. John’s rambling had stopped, and he seemed to be coming to his senses. She was going to speak to him, but Pinkie beat her to the punch. She put both hands to the sides of his face and forced him to look into her eyes.
“You’re in Twilight’s library. You’re safe now. Everyone is safe now,” she said simply.
John continued to look at Pinkie, his breathing finally starting to level out. However, he couldn’t simply move past it. What he’d done was going to leave a scar for sure.
The others began to gather around John. If there was even the slightest of chances of keeping him from falling to the guilt, they were going to take it. But as they were going to begin, something caught their attention. All of the mares’ ears twitched as they registered a sound coming from outside.
“What the--?” Applejack turned as she asked this, not sure what it was first. However, in time, the whole group figured out what it was. It was yelling; dozens of ponies yelling, but it wasn’t like the nightmare-tortured ponies’ screams. These sounded like battle cries, and they were coming from the guards stationed around the library.
Twilight stood up and walked to the door, fearing what it was about. But as she drew close to it, she paused. Her ears twitched, and a moment later, her eyes widened. Crackling began to echo around the room, and the library began to rattle. Finally, the wall in front of Twilight came crumbling down. The yells of fighting guards grew louder now that the wall no longer stood. Everyone stared as they watched the scene before them. Dozens of the manikins had somehow made it into Ponyville, and the guards were now fighting them off.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” yelled Twilight. It was over. Kurama was finished; they’d finally won… and yet the battle wasn’t over!?
“’Fraid not, Princess,” from the wreckage, two figures walked up to the library. One appeared to be a griffin clad in armor. Inscriptions appeared to be etched into its metal. The other, the one who had spoke appeared to be some kind of tiger. Two large fangs extended from its mouth. Twilight took a few steps back as the others readied themselves, or at least tried to.
We do not need this right now! Everyone was at their limit, days of lack of sleep and frustration had left them exhausted. They were nowhere near their best. And while they’d always had a hard time dealing with just one prisoner in all other instances, now they had two standing in front of them.
“We suggest you route from this battle now,” said the tiger, “You are not what we came here for.”
The griffin chuckled, a wicked grin splitting his beak. “Speak for yourself. I’ve waited a long time to taste blood again…”
He produced a blade from his armor, brandishing it. His grin seemed to amplify. Now, the two prisoners began to walk inside, unaided by the mysterious creatures; the tiger silent in response to the griffin’s statement.
However, someone else managed to react quickly. Though his mind, body and spirit were all numb, he still had instinct to act upon; it was the only thing that got him through the latter parts of his clash with Kurama.
Fight.
Past everyone else, John dashed for the tiger, tackling him out of the library and joining the chaos outside. The griffin was not interested in this, locking eyes with those that remained.
“So who’s going to face me first? Tell me now…” he asked, admiring his reflection in the sword for a moment.
This was the last straw. After days of being unable to do much else to help out, Twilight finally stepped forward, a scowl on her face. She put herself between this griffin and her friends.
“That will be me,” Twilight’s horn ignited in a magenta glow as she prepared for battle.
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Outside of Twilight’s library, the night had been silent as it could be. The inside, though, was a different story. The bulk of the royal guards were now stationed outside, as requested by Twilight herself. They knew Kurama was inside, and they had been ready to take him in no matter how the battle inside had ended. The silence was maddening; each second that passed had the chance of being the fateful moment they’d have to charge in.
They didn’t care about the wait, though; they were ready to take action at a moment’s notice. That moment did in fact come, but not in the form they expected. From behind trees, homes, and generally anything that could be used to hide their presence, they appeared: the clay-like creatures that had accompanied prisoners before, something that most guards had been unable to handle the first time they saw them.
However, this time was different. Past humiliations and failures had driven the guards to new heights. The current, ongoing threat to the lives of countless innocents had made them prepared for anything. As a result, the moment the clay creatures made their surprise attack, the guards were already a step ahead of them.
Though the guards were outnumbered three-to-one, the fight was still even, and slowly began to shift towards the guards’ favor. “Keep laser fire to a minimum! We can’t risk too much collateral!”
Spells were out of the question, but the guards were more than willing to get their hands dirty. With weapons on hand, the guards didn’t hold back. The fight began, with fragments of the creatures flying in all directions.
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Twilight stood with her horn engulfed in an aura. The griffin before her did not bother suppressing his want for combat. She didn’t know anything about him or what he was capable of, but he had shown up pretty late in the “game”. Chances were, he wasn’t to be taken lightly. Her first priority was the surrounding area. She still had friends who were recovering upstairs, and three others not far from her, one of whom had been injured.
I have to get him out of here…
“Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy,” All three braced themselves as their names were spoken, “Protect the others. Don’t let anything get past you!”
Before they could question her intent, Twilight had already charged for her opponent. A wicked grin spread across the griffin’s beak as he readied his blade, swinging it as Twilight drew closer. Before anyone else could react, there was a flash of light, and as it faded, both Twilight and the armored griffin were gone.
“Gettin’ real tired of everyone tryin’ to go it alone!” Applejack huffed. She was already going to make her way outside, to see if she could find Twilight, but several somethings soon got in her way. As hard as the guards outside were fighting, they weren’t able to prevent every creature from passing them. Letting out an annoyed grunt, Applejack pulled out a lasso. Pinkie and Fluttercruel joined her, ready to stand against the threat.
“But, your arm…” Pinkie said, out of concern. As much as Applejack appreciated the concern, this wasn’t the time to worry about it. One friend had vanished in a flash of light while another friend, fresh off a bloody confrontation, was forced back into the fray.
“I’ve got another one.”
As the creatures grew closer, the three mares prepared for battle…
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Away from the library, but still within the range of the battle, another flash of light lit up the area. Coming out of it was the armored griffin, his knife slicing through open air as his body moved once again. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, just long enough for him to notice something coming down from above. Quickly, he jumped back, a bolt of magic striking the ground where he once stood.
Landing on his feet, he looked up to see Twilight hovering above, steam coming off her horn from her latest attack. “Attacking from my blind spot?” he said, with an amused grin, “And here I thought you princesses were about honesty.” Opening his wings, the griffin took to the sky, meeting Twilight at the same height level.
“After everything you and your friends have done, I’m a little less than willing to play by the rules,” Twilight scowled. A prisoner from Tartarus was the last person she’d want giving her a lecture on honesty. Her statement, however, amused the griffin as he pulled out a second knife, holding both in hold as he got into a stance.
“That only makes things far more interesting.”
Finally, he charged, both blades gleaming, Twilight’s face reflecting off the stainless steel. Twilight responded by firing off several more bolts of magic, but rather than see them be dodged, Twilight was met with a much less expected response from her foe. Rather than avoid them, the armored griffin used his blades to intercept them, deflecting them as he sliced at each bolt.
As he grew closer, Twilight stopped her barrage, backing away from the knives that sliced at her. With another flash of light, she vanished from the griffin’s range and appeared several feet behind him, letting out a short huff as she paused.
He’s fast, faster than me! She thought to herself, prepared to keep going, I have to keep my distance, try to find a weakness in his—
If not for the fact she was watching him intently, she’d have missed the griffin’s next move. He’d just tossed something directly at her. At the last moment, Twilight tilted her head to the side, just in time to narrowly avoid the knife thrown at her. Though fortunate as she was to react in time, she didn’t go unscratched; the blade left a cut in its wake. Feeling the sting of the cut, Twilight flapped her wings and moved away from where she was floating, in time to see the griffin pull his arm and the near-invisible wire connected to his knife.
“Surprise, surprise, not many are able to see that coming,” He said, taking hold of his blade once more, “Usually I get to have a nice little treat when I get my blade back.”
He moved the blade close to his mouth, seeming to admire the sight of Twilight’s blood that was now on its surface.
“But I suppose this’ll do for now,” He then opened his beak, extending his tongue and licking it clean. After all that she’d seen since this game started, Twilight didn’t know why she found it unsettling; it wasn’t even that surprising a development.
“Well then, Princess,” he said, extending his blade at her once more, “Shall we continue our dance?”
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John couldn’t lie to himself. His mind was still spinning and his body burned in pain. The charge he’d used to get this tiger away from the others might have been the most impressive feat he could manage in his current state. And to add salt to all the wounds he had, he couldn’t help but feel that the prisoner had simply allowed him to do it.
“Impressive,” the tiger commented, inspecting John’s body. Every wound, whether or not it was visible, was clear as day to him, “I’m seeing several gashes on your body. No doubt you probably have a few broken bones on top of that. And yet, you manage to stand before me.”
“You and your group are… the last I’d want to impress…” He couldn’t hide his current status. John couldn’t even say a full sentence without stopping to take a breath. But what other option did he have? Admit defeat and run?
I don’t think so…
“Bravado will only get you so far,” the tiger began to walk towards John, the dragon bracing himself for another fight. But as he prepared for his opponent to make his first move, John noticed that there was none to be seen. In seconds, the tiger had simply walked past him without even stopping to attack John at all.
“Hey—where are… you going?!” John asked, turning around. His would-be opponent, however, did not do the same. Instead, he kept right on walking.
“I said this before. You are not what I’m after. And in your current state, you are not worthy of killing,” The tiger didn’t even break his stride as he answered John’s question. He turned a deaf ear to John’s further statements, only stopping when he heard a ringing in his ear. Someone did have something to say to him, and he had no means of ignoring her.
“Kronos! What are you doing?!” It was Norma, her voice running through his ears like nails on a chalkboard, “Kill him now, while he’s weak!”
Kronos let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You sent me here for one reason and one reason alone. I will make my return as soon as we’ve procured the—“
Kronos was cut off when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and let out a sigh.
“You’re not going--!” John couldn’t even finish, and not because he had to stop to breathe mid-sentence. Before he could say more than those three words, Kronos made his move. In one swift motion he knocked John’s hand off his shoulder and drove his elbow straight into John’s gut.
At just one hit, John felt all of his strength vanish as the wind was forced out of his lungs. Wrapping his arms around his stomach, John dropped to his knees, his head slamming on the ground as he fought to breathe again.
“Did that get through to you?” Kronos asked, but John could do no more than wheeze in response. Taking a step closer, Kronos kneeled down towards the stunned dragon, “This is not what I wanted. I wanted simply—“
This time, Kronos was caught off-guard as John’s body suddenly came alive. Pushing himself off the ground, John brought his fist up with all his strength, seemingly connecting with his opponent’s chin. For a moment, John smirked, thinking that he might have dealt some damage, but that vanished as he saw the truth. Kronos only had a split second, if that, to react. And yet, John’s move was blocked anyway. Right under Kronos’s chin was his palm, having blocked his attack with minimal effort.
“As promising as I’d hoped,” Still holding on to John’s fist, Kronos lifted him off the ground, “That steel resolve to see things through to the end… that burning fire in your soul… that is what I’ve been looking for!” For a moment, Kronos looked… happy? But that soon faded into a frown of disappointment, “But not like this, not like you are now…”
Kronos released his grip of John’s fist, letting him fall, but not before landing three precise strikes on him before John hit the ground.
John laid there, motionless. Even in the state he was in, the punches were far stronger than he’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just Kronos’s strength that was impressive; it was also his speed. John couldn’t help but think he’d be at a disadvantage even if he was at full strength again. He grunted as he tried to move his body again, but found that he couldn’t. His body had finally been pushed too far, and had failed him.
Kronos watched John go unmoving for several seconds before finally rising to his feet. Turning his back to John, he continued back to the library, only to hear the same ringing again.
“Go back! Finish him now!” Norma screamed. Kronos’s ears violently shook, and he fought the urge to pick at them, “Do it now! Or else, it will be your blood that will be spilled!”
Kronos showed no concern for this, keeping on his path. “Try it.”
Several seconds passed and nothing happened. Kronos showed no signs of amusement the whole time.
“I will fight your battles, but I have say on whose life I take. And I do it under my terms.”
With that, the ringing stopped and Kronos continued onward towards the library.
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She couldn’t have ever imagined this game would have played out like this. Yet here it was, right now, right in front of her through the eyes of her creatures. Norma stared up towards the screens, watching as the battles unfolded. She could see how easily the larger dragon had been thrashed by Kronos. Though she was a little livid that John had been spared, Norma supposed she’d forgive it for now.
The ever-present, low humming noise reminded her that she wasn’t alone in this chamber. Slayer, still encased in the healing orb, was brought to the chamber by Norma herself so that he could see it all too. He hadn’t had much to say about it since it all started. In fact, he hadn’t said too much since his healing began, no doubt brooding about the unicorn who had beaten him to a pulp.
Yet, as Norma placidly cast a glance in his direction, she could see that his injuries had improved. Both of his eyes appeared to be working now, each darting about the screens, as though searching for something. Turning her attention back to the screens, Norma felt a smirk slowly work its way across her features.
“Look here, Slayer. Kurama served his purpose splendidly,” Norma observed, spreading her arms to take in the scenes of chaos before her, “The show he gave us, and the strife he caused all of Celestia’s pawns gave me the perfect situation to take it back, to send this game towards its final phase.”
Norma turned, now casting the sneer in Slayer’s direction. “He even managed to outdo the damage you caused, all on harder targets. How does that make you feel?”
Slayer didn’t respond right away, no doubt intently searching for his quarry among the screens. With an internal scoff, Norma turned her attention forward again. This would mark the beginning of the end of days. After all, what could possibly be more entertaining than this?
A guttural growl filled the chamber, and Norma turned back to Slayer, whose eyes were now bloodshot, transfixed on something. Norma turned to see the cause of distress. One of her creatures had managed to infiltrate the sickbay without anyone noticing, and was slowly lumbering over to where Corey laid motionless. Off to the side was Rarity, still out cold after her encounter with Kurama. However, all other creatures in sight soon faded away; the view on the screen was filled with static, but it was easy enough to tell what was going on.
“What’s wrong, Slayer?” Norma asked, sneering, “You grow some kind of conscience too?”
“I do not care… what happens to the other two,” Slayer hissed, moving about in the orb so that he could see the screen clearly, “But he’s my kill…”
“He might be dead already,” said Norma, “But why don’t I make sure to finish the job?”
Slayer let out a snarl, but didn’t move from within the orb, probably because he was still injured. All he could do was sit by and watch as the angle of the manikin changed, no doubt readying the final blow…