//------------------------------//
// Act 4 Chapter 3 
// Story: Collision Code 
// by SSJRandomMaster 
//------------------------------//

Act IV: Climactic Collisions
Chapter 3: Magic Training Starts
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It was a wonder he could walk to that room again, considering what had happened in it for the last fourteen days. However, that was over now. As far as he knew, his physical conditioning was finally done, and he didn’t need to worry about being blindsided with even heavier armor today. Now, Corey stood in front of the doors to that training room once again, wondering what would await him on the other side.
 
My mental training should start today… thought Corey, Why am I going back to this room? Wouldn’t I be able to do this anywhere?
 
Corey took in a deep breath. Now that there wasn’t a lot of weight pressing into his body from the shoulders down, he had the ability to think again. But here he was, overthinking something that, in his mind, was ultimately going to be simpler than the last two weeks were. So, with that in mind, Corey finally stepped through the doors.
 
He paused as he passed through the doorway, wondering how this got set up in the time since he was last in the room. The room seemed a lot dimmer. Where in all previous days it had been lit by light that entered the room from the windows, the windows appeared to be blocked. The only light in the room came from several lit candles; some on the floor, the others seemingly levitating by themselves. The rest of the room bore quite a few rugs, and didn’t seem to have any evidence of the past two weeks’ events in it anymore.
 
“Oh, Corey,” This came from Princess Celestia, who stood in the center of the room with her usual regalia on, as opposed to her armor, “You’re right on time.”
 
“It was a nice change of pace to be able to walk here,” Corey confirmed, still looking around the room. The atmosphere of the room had changed.
 
“Is that so?” Celestia asked, “Please, sit down. There is quite a bit you must know before we move on to the next phase of your training.”
 
Corey blinked a few times, but ultimately obliged, sitting down cross-legged on the ground. Celestia closed her eyes for a few moments. All Corey could do was sit there, watching her, trying to figure out what it was she was going to say. The dim lighting, the candles, those seemed sort of obvious as to what his training would entail, but he wanted to hear it from her.
 
“First,” Her eyes finally opened with a warm look—a look that Corey hadn’t seen all that much of coming from her the last two weeks, “Let me say, you have done quite well to come this far. I know that it couldn’t have been easy for the last fourteen days. Now, as far as your physical attributes are concerned, I would say your formal training’s over, but you may do as you wish, as soon as you complete the next phase of your training.”
 
“Completing it…” Corey repeated, “So there’s a chance I’ll be done early, then?”
 
“Yes,” Celestia said, her look slowly changing from warm to stern, “However, that depends entirely on how you approach this part. As you know, the next two weeks are intended to delve into your mental abilities, your magical aspects.”
 
Corey nodded a bit. “Okay, so then…”
 
“Don’t be hasty,” Celestia advised, “There is quite a bit we must discuss. You’ll be left to your own devices for this part. There is really only one person that can help you with this mental part above all else, and that is you. With that in mind…”
 
There was a short pause. “How have you felt recently?”
 
Corey considered the question for a few moments. It seemed like an odd question to ask, when he looked at his last two weeks. He hadn’t had time or energy to do any serious brooding, and he certainly hadn’t had his mind on anything but the task put in front of him.
 
“I’ve felt okay, all things considered,” Corey said, “Not really feeling anything strong coming out of the last couple of weeks.”
 
“Good,” Celestia said, “Though… there is something I must tell you. During your physical training, I wanted to ensure your mind was as clear as possible. I did not want you to be upset during the training—no more than could be helped, but you did well to keep yourself from getting discouraged. But with that over, I cannot keep quiet about it any longer.”
 
Corey sat up straight. Where was she going with this?
 
“There was one of the prisoners aside from Lyon who managed to escape,” Celestia said, “It may not be likely, but we both know there’s a possibility that Slayer is still alive.”
 
Corey’s mind blanked out completely for a moment, but his eyes went wide. He soon found himself reliving the fight all over again… how unfocused he was, how Slayer controlled the whole thing… and then… and then…
 
Corey shook his head strongly, letting off a huff, but it was too late. Celestia was looking at him, now concerned, with the same stern air she had before.
 
“As I thought…” Celestia sighed, “It’s still haunting you, isn’t it?”
 
Corey blinked. He’d felt at peace the past couple of weeks. Why was it, then, that the mere mention of Slayer’s survival—something he’d already had a feeling about for a while—sent him back to the time he didn’t want to relive?
 
“I thought…” Corey said, “After I woke up, I hadn’t…”
 
“I see,” Celestia said, “You hardly had any time to spend thinking about it, certainly only enough to know you had a problem. It’s why you ‘sought out the light’. It’s why you’re here. And that will be the topic for the next two weeks.”
 
“So then…” Corey said, “This next two weeks will be…”
 
“Something I’m sure you’ve been waiting for, for a long time,” Celestia said, “But there’s something you should know, and it’ll probably be the most important part of what you’re about to do.”
 
There was only a couple of seconds’ pause before she spoke again. “Emotions can affect magic, as you’ve experienced yourself. All of them can affect it. But let them carry on for too long unchecked, and they can easily go out of control. Anger, sorrow, envy, even joy, almost any emotion, if allowed to fester, can have catastrophic side effects.”
 
Celestia paused for a few moments, her eyes seemingly trailing off into the distance behind Corey. “Some of which… I’ve seen.”
 
Corey tried not to nod out of reflex as he understood what she was saying.
 
“Some try to hide it,” Celestia said, her gaze finally refocusing, “To keep it closed up from those they love until it’s too late.”
 
There was a small pause as Corey’s mind once again reminded him he’d been fighting with his more negative ones for a while now. And avoiding expressing those emotions, whether verbal or physical, was harder than it should have been.
 
“That sounds familiar…” Corey said, “Up until recently I haven’t had a proper leash on my feelings. I feel things, I do things based on what I feel, and then I regret what I did while feeling those things. In all other cases but… that one… I’d managed to avoid the worst of outcomes. But that’s not the way to solve it.”
 
“So you’ve been like this for a while…” Celestia said, “I understand. This may be a harder task for you than I imagined…”
 
“Overcoming these emotions is going to be hard, for sure…” Corey said, “What can I do? Just shut them out entirely? Never feel again—“
 
“No, no. No…” Celestia cut in, shaking her head, “That would be worse. No matter what, a living creature needs to be able to feel. It’s what makes them who they really are. It’s what makes them alive. Shutting them away is one of the worst things you can do, especially if they happen to boil over…”
 
“Boiling over…” Corey repeated, closing his eyes. He knew of some people that preferred that approach. It seemed to work for them. But then again… even they could only take so much.
 
“The only right way to free yourself from your feelings,” Celestia said, “Is to accept them for what they are. That will be your goal.”
 
At this, Corey took a second look around the room. The candles, the mats, the much quieter, dimmer everything the room had to offer? It all really started to click now.
 
“So… so I’m supposed to… to meditate, then?” Corey asked.
 
“That is correct,” said Celestia, “As such, I do not think there is much more I can do for you beyond what I’ve already done.”
 
Corey frowned, resting his head on one hand. He’d definitely never sat still long enough to really do it. Of course, he’d also never had a real need to do it.
 
“If you need a break from this room, feel free to step outside for a few minutes,” Celestia said, “But I trust you’ll be trying most of your meditation in here. I believe the ambience will help with it in this room more than anywhere else in the castle.”
 
“I think I understand what’s being asked of me,” Corey said, not moving from his position or pose, “I just need to deliver on this.”
 
“I will leave it up to you, then,” She took a few steps forward now, and knelt down slightly, “Good luck, Corey.”
 
With that, Celestia stood up to her full height, walked around and past him, and slowly made her way out of the room. She opened the door and walked outside, closing it slowly so as not to make any noise. Only when the light from the hallway disappear from the room once again did Corey finally refocus on what it was he was to do.
 
“Corey, this is something you’ve never done successfully before. You couldn’t keep your mind steady even when you were in calmer times. There’s a war coming on your doorstep. Do you think you can do what’s ahead of you?” Corey asked himself, knowing full well he wouldn’t get an answer, “Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there…”
 
Corey’s eyes briefly focused on the subtle flickering of the candles in his vision. He took in a few slow, deliberate breaths, trying to steady himself. He didn’t know how long he’d sat there, trying this, but as he did, his vision slowly began to blur, until the light from the candles became a single blob of light in his vision. Then, that started to fade…
 
He didn’t know if he was meditating successfully or just napping, but either way, Corey had done… something.
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Another day, another battle. That definitely wasn’t something John had heard back home, but it was something John had grown accustomed to. Panting heavily, John was surrounded by several opponents as they stood in what appeared to be an ancient crater. It didn’t matter what formed it. It only mattered that it served its purpose as today’s battlefield. Each of the other dragons stared at John, who was in the center, all waiting for a command. Standing outside of the crater with arms crossed was their far larger leader, Fissure. He was merely watching as the battle went on.
 
“Continue.”
 
On cue, several dragons charged towards John, and he did the same. Aiming for the closest dragon to himself, John managed a hard hit across another dragon’s face, following up by grabbing the stunned drake by the arm and swinging him into another. With two out of the way for the moment, John turned his attention to another and slammed his elbow into his stomach.
 
Three down, he thought to himself, but a pat on the back would have to wait for another time. Just as he managed to kick away a fourth, he found himself in danger of a choke head, only barely able to put his hand in the way and prevent his airways from being blocked. But while he managed a save, he wasn’t quite out of the water yet. One hand was occupied by a dragon who wouldn’t let go. That, on top of the fact that his movements were impaired, made the fact that there were about a few dozen other dragons around him all the more troubling.
 
He tried to get free, but it was too late. Another dragon was on him already and delivered a hard right to John’s face. After delivering a left punch as well, the dragon stepped aside to allow another to saunter up to John. This one landed a hard shot to John’s stomach. Though John managed to brace himself, avoiding the worst of the damage, it didn’t change the fact that it was painful.
 
S-shit!

More were coming. He needed a way out or else this wouldn’t end well for him. Again, he was struck and the dragon stepped aside from what seemed to be a cycle of everyone just taking turns walking up to and then attacking John. Just as John saw another assailant move in, his pupils began to twitch, slowly turning to slits, but he quickly shook his head.
 
N-no, I won’t! John turned his head to the side and looked to the dragon holding him with a scowl,  If you’re not gonna let go, then fine! John opened his mouth and took in a deep breath. Once he had sufficient air in his lungs John pulled his hand free, subsequently allowing the dragon to complete his lock.
 
“Hah, smart move, Brainiac,” the drake taunted, followed by an obnoxious, “Not!” By now, John had stopped paying him any mind. His attention was at what was directly in front of him. A large fist was coming straight for his face, one that would no doubt render him unconscious if it hit him head-on.
 
Just what I’m looking for, For a moment, John went completely still. In that moment, everything around him slowed down, even the fist inches from his face. In the final moments before impact, John finally moved, lurching his body forward to duck under the oncoming punch. While he did manage to dodge, the same could not be said for the dragon holding on to him. This was made clear the moment he was hit by friendly fire, and was knocked off John’s back as a result.
 
Just as the attacker realized his mistake, however, it was too late. John already moved to attack. Wrapping his arms around the dragon’s waist, John lifted him off his feet before slamming him back down to the ground.
 
See, didn’t need to use it after—John’s thoughts, however, were cut short the moment he was rammed into from the side. Try as he might to recover, however, he was quickly overwhelmed by several other dragons piling onto him. As John felt not only the weight of the several dragons adding to the pile, but also the countless attacks that followed, it was all he could do just to keep himself from being pinned down as the ground crater from the combined weight of the dragons.
 
And as he struggled, as his frustration grew, John could feel it slipping again. His pupils were slowly beginning to slit again, and try as he might he couldn’t seem to fight it this time.
 
No, no, I won’t! He tried to shake it off, tried to think of a way out of it, but it was getting closer. He was about to fall off the edge, but then…
 
“Enough!” Instantly, the struggle ended and the dragons who had piled on John began to climb off. With the added weight now gone, John was capable of letting out a small sight of relief. The others stepped aside as Fissure walked up to John, looking down at him with a stern expression.
 
“How’d I do?” John asked with a smirk, but Fissure only shook his head.
 
“Come with me,” He said turning away and walking off. John rolled his eyes in response and followed soon after, their walk leading them well outside the massive crater, and through a field of trees.
 
“Where are we going?” John’s knowledge of the terrain was limited, never really venturing far off where he first landed on his arrival. Any area he’s been to from that day had been introduced to him slowly over time.
 
“You ‘member the day you beat me?” Fissure asked without turning around.
 
“Yeah, after I won, you followed after me,” John responded.
 
“And after I caught up with ya, I asked ya why someone with your strength would want to hold it back. And your answer was nothin’ short of the stupidest thing I’d ever heard come out of another dragon’s mouth,” Now, Fissure’s eyes were on John, one brow arched. John merely rolled his eyes once again.
 
“I’m perfectly fine with using my strength, but not when it come at the cost of my restraints,” Fissure scoffed and turned around.
 
“Lemme ask ya somethin’, say I didn’t stop them back there and you still refused to come back full force. What do you think would have happened?” John looked up at Fissure for several seconds. The answer was clear, but he didn’t want to say it.
 
“Got nothin’ to say? Well then, I’ll answer,” Taking a half-step away, Fissure pushed against several bushes blocking the way, and what John saw shocked him.
 
“This…”
 
Fissure didn’t say a word. Instead, he allowed John to walk past him so he could get a better view of what was on the other side.
 
“Welcome to the boneyard.”
 
It was massive, bigger than anything he’d seen before, a land field with the carcasses and skeletons of dead dragons. They ranged from dragons the size of buildings, to dragons John’s size, and some smaller than that. The smell of the dead, both old and new floated heavily in the air.
 
“Why’d you bring me here?” John asked coldly, his eyes still locked on the graveyard.
 
“Ya know why these bodies are here?”
 
“I could take a few guesses…”
 
“Most would be right, probably,” said Fissure, “But no matter how it started, the end was the same. They were too weak.”
 
“That doesn’t explain why you’re showing me this,” John said. Fissure groaned and rubbed his temple.
 
“Listen here, you stubborn son of a wyvern!” he said, “If you died right here, right now, what would happen?? Who would you leave behind!?”
 
For a moment, John thought back to all his friends, all of them who he saw off before coming here. Half the time he was supposed to be out here getting stronger had already elapsed. The day he and his friends would have the biggest battle of their lives was about to happen, and they all expected him to show. But if he didn’t make it—if he died out here and couldn’t return, how would they fare without him?
 
“Seems that got through to you,” said Fissure, “I don’t know where you came from, nor do I care why you left it to be on this island. The only reason I’m helping you at all is because I can’t stand someone willingly letting themselves be weak.”
 
The two were silent for a long time. John weighed the outcomes—should he say what was on his mind? Eventually, he made his choice.
 
“Who did you lose?”
 
Fissure didn’t respond, merely letting out a puff of smoke from his nostrils.
 
“Monsters exist even on this island, and sometimes you gotta do what’s necessary to put a stop to them,” Fissure began to walk away, but John wasn’t done just yet.
 
“And if I don’t?” asked John.
 
“Then make a list of those close to you, and be prepared to start scratching them off.”
 
With that, Fissure took his leave, leaving John alone with the boneyard and a decision to make.
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How much time had passed? Seconds, hours? In a room where the only light offered was the dim glow of the candles that surrounded him, Corey couldn’t tell. Time could have stopped altogether for all he knew, and right now, he was beginning to wish it would. 

Meditation. He’d thought of it more times than anyone else would care to on his own world. But not once had he ever thought he’d truly have to use it. And yet now he found himself in a position where that is exactly what he needed to get done.
 
But how… Of course he knew there was more to meditation that just sitting with your legs crossed and eyes closed. There was something deeper in there, somewhere, but what it was still eluded him. But he had to figure it out. Something that definitely took multiple years to truly master, he’d have to figure out in two weeks or less. No pressure at all.
 
Right?
 
“Argh!” Corey snarled as he broke his stance and ruffled his mane in frustration. He thought he was over this already. He thought he was free of what was weighing him down. But the more he meditated on it, the more he reflected on it, the more it became clear.
 
“It was in the moment, wasn’t it?” Corey asked. He had really thought he was going to die that day. He wouldn’t get another chance. In that moment, he allowed himself to finally let go, not wanting his grief to be the last thing he felt before he was lead to the light, and ceased to be.
 
“But now I’m back here, trying to overcome it again,” Letting out a sigh, Corey leaned back on the ground and stared at the ceiling, as though by some chance the answer would just come to him. But he knew better. He’d searched for so long, and when he thought he’d found the answer, it was snatched away not long after. Or maybe, it wasn’t the answer at all, just a convenient truth that he chose to accept in that moment…
 
“So then, how do I find the real answer, what’s it going to take to finally overcome that negative side of me?” He closed his eyes, taking in the silence all around him. No one would answer his question. Not that there was anyone in the room that could have heard it.
 
Or so he thought.
 
“For some, it takes an extreme,” Immediately, all of Corey’s muscles tensed. He didn’t feel any danger, but something stirred when he heard that voice. It was only the first time he’d ever heard it in person, but he knew that he’d know it anywhere. Slowly Corey sat up as he watched something move around him. The wax that had melted off the candlesticks began to shift, slowly moving into a pile a few feet in front of him. Soon, the puddle began to shift further, a mold forming as it reached upwards.
 
Corey wasn’t stupid. He knew what was about to happen. Within seconds, it took the form of a man—or rather, a man blended with about thirteen other things. Colors blended within the wax until the full sculpture was complete.
 
“How do you do?” The man said, reaching a hand out to Corey in greeting. Like hell Corey was going to take that hand—how did he know it wasn’t going to have one of those prank buzzers on it? “I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Discord.”
 
Corey stared at Discord for a few seconds, unable to stop his eye from twitching.
 
This… is not the answer… I was looking for…