//------------------------------// // Act 4 Chapter 16 // Story: Collision Code // by SSJRandomMaster //------------------------------// Act IV: Climactic Collisions Chapter 16: My Heroes -------------------------------------- Norma slammed her hands to the ground, red runes crackling off her palms as she did so. From the point of contact, several large pillars of rock—made from the floor, no doubt, began to shoot right at Corey. Yellowish-white runes appeared around his feet, and Corey started moving, weaving between the pillars to make his approach. It wasn’t an easy feat—Corey’s foot slipped a little, and he nearly took a pillar to the chest for his error. Launching himself up into the air, Corey began to spin, making his way between two more pillars and coming down with a rune-enhanced punch.   Norma, however, leapt backwards, leaving Corey’s fist to strike the floor of the room. The runes flowed into the floor, and opened up a decent-sized hole in the floor, which smashed out the ceiling of the room below as well. This also left Corey staggering a bit on the lip of the hole, trying to regain some semblance of balance.   A chill seized him, and he turned his head slightly. Norma clapped her hands, red runes bursting out; translucent red waves of air began zipping towards Corey. Taking in a sharp, deep breath, Corey focused, and launched himself to the left. He winced as one of the waves passed just by his leg, slicing into the skin. Ignoring the pain, Corey rolled over as he landed, and rose quickly to his feet, lifting one hand in Norma’s direction and firing a few blasts of magic from it.   Norma watched placidly as the shots hit the floor surrounding her, kicking up smoke. She scoffed. “Do you really believe this will work?”   She lifted her left foot and slammed the heel of it into the ground, creating yet another pillar that extended through the smoke. She turned, momentarily trying to figure out where Corey was—not hearing the groan or the sound of an impact in general. Norma turned back, just in time to see a whitish blur slam into her, knocking her out the other side of the smoke.   Norma’s body emitted a red shockwave as she recovered, but Corey was on her again. Her body crackled with red runes as she punched out at Corey. Corey ducked low, but his uppercut was parried. Blocking Norma’s kick from that, Corey tried to use a low kick of his own. Norma hopped up. Both of them cocked one fist back, and struck out with a punch. Both missed the other’s fist, each landing a strike to each other’s face.   Norma scoffed, but felt her fist get pushed back by the movement of Corey’s head, and a moment later, felt the strike of Corey’s leg into her midsection, lifting her from her feet and knocking her across the room. Norma laid down flat on the floor for a while, Corey wiping his mouth for a bit.   “Hmph…” Norma scoffed yet again as she began to get to her feet, “Okay, I may have underestimated you a bit. While you have an advantage in close quarters, that is not that much of a concern…”   “Since you have a lot of magic at your disposal, somewhere…” Corey observed.   “Precisely,” Norma raised both of her hands, “So I just have to keep you away!”   Red runes crackled around her open palms, and flames began to shoot from her hands. Corey spread his arms wide, a barrier made of runes appearing over the front part of his body. He then began to run towards the fire, the barrier protecting him from the flames.   “Fool!” Norma shouted, stomping one foot again. A shaft of rock flew out at Corey from within the rapidly abating flames, breaking through the barrier and sending Corey flying backwards. Seeing that Corey was in the air, Norma sneered, “Now I have you…”   Norma snapped her fingers loudly, and Corey turned. Red runes began to appear behind him, and from them, spikes began to shoot out of the ground, rapidly extending up towards him. Corey twisted in the air, aiming blasts at the spikes to clear a path. His tactic worked; Corey landed in the clear part.   Corey quickly raised one of his fists, extending two knuckles slightly outward as runes appeared around the raised knuckles. He swung, using the impact spell on those two knuckles to clear the rest of the spikes, kicking up dust and debris. Corey raised both of his hands, his horn glowing brightly and his hands covering themselves in even more runes. The larger chunks of debris soon began to glow with his magical aura as well. Once he’d ensnared them, he began to toss them at Norma, thrusting his palms forward.   Norma did the same thing, creating a red barrier against which the debris broke. As Norma dropped it, she realized Corey was rushing her again, his fist glowing. Norma quickly clenched her fist, red runes swirling into it as she prepared her own impact spell. Both punched out, but this time their fists met in the middle, and the combined force of their impact spells sent both flying back. The floor of the room crumbled into dust, leaving only a small, small portion of floor left.   Corey kicked a little in the air, shooting out a blast towards the wall to give himself a bit of extra momentum to get clear and to solid ground. Norma disappeared into the debris. After regaining his footing for a few moments, and taking in a small breath to prepare himself, Corey leapt down after her into the thick dust.   Only then did Corey realize the problem with his tactic. There was still a lot of thick dust.   Damn, can’t see anything in this room… With this thought in mind, Corey slowly closed his eyes, composing himself. For a few moments, all was still.   Then, a chill came from his left, and Corey sped out of its way, seeing a few red waves slice through the dust. Again, Corey felt a chill coming his way and he hopped out of the way of Norma’s next attack. On the third time Corey found himself dodging an attack he couldn’t see, he clenched both of his fists, a few runes crackling around the surface. He brought his fists together, creating an explosion of air pressure that dispersed the dust.   Norma looked up, grimacing as her cover was blown away. She didn’t compose herself quickly enough, and was kicked in the side yet again as Corey got close. Norma stood up again, but felt herself become dizzy. She staggered a bit, and brought her hands down for a moment. The screens that were in the room above followed them down, but flickered.   I may have exhausted myself more than I realized with Discord and the princesses… Norma thought, glaring at Corey once more, He shouldn’t have been this much of a factor! -------------------------------------- Rainbow backpedaled, her wings providing her with the necessary force and lift to do so. Storm Claw, significantly slower thanks to Twilight’s spell, followed, two knives drawn. The distance between them closed after a few seconds, and Storm Claw screeched as he slashed away. However, his slashes passed through empty air. Despite her injuries, she was able to easily avoid the attacks.   Twilight looked up, her horn alight with magic. He must be heavier than he was when he was wearing the armor, she thought, This is my chance!   A few laser shots blasted forth from her horn, aimed at Storm Claw. Storm Claw turned, kicking back Rainbow with both feet as he did so, moving his knives. He managed to slice one of the oncoming bolts in half, but as he turned his body to try to slice through the next ones, he realized he was already too late—one clipped him straight in the upper leg, and the other hit him in the torso, causing him to grunt in pain and sink a little.   “Now it’s my turn!” Rainbow shouted, clenching her fist. She landed a solid punch to Storm Claw’s face, but as she turned her body to kick him, she found her attack blocked.   “I think not…” Storm Claw grunted as he moved his arms to try to slice her again, but Rainbow dove down and backwards, well out of the way. He snarled in response, before crying out, “Curse this spell of yours, Princess!”   Twilight and Rainbow regrouped once more. Rainbow turned slightly towards Twilight.   “He’s slower now, but neither of us can seem to take him down…” Rainbow said, shaking her head.   “I am using up a bit of my magic to maintain the gravity net on him,” Twilight shook her head, “I don’t think I can land the necessary strike. Most I can do is stall him in place, and even then—“   “Stall him, huh…” Rainbow smirked, “Yeah, that reminds me… Haven’t tried the Sonic Rainboom in a while.”   Twilight looked over to Rainbow, and slowly began to return the smirk. “After how you trained yourself the last month—no, since this all started—you might be able to use it relatively easily.”   “So think you can hold him off for that long?” Rainbow looked back, “I’ll still need some good distance…and a clear shot.”   “I’ll do what’s needed,” Twilight said, “You’re the fastest flier in Equestria, aren’t you? Just don’t take too long…”   Storm Claw slowly descended opposite them, grimacing. “What are you two talking about over there, now?”   “Count on it, Twi…” said Rainbow, flapping her wings hard and starting to make distance. With that, Twilight turned back towards Storm Claw. Storm Claw’s eyes momentarily widened, before he realized what was going on. He let out a low chuckle as he touched down entirely.   “You’ve made a mistake, Princess,” Storm Claw said, taking in exactly one deep breath. His wings flared outwards, flapping strongly before he launched himself towards Twilight. Twilight immediately responded by firing a few more laser blasts, but Storm Claw managed to knock them out of the air with his knives. One of them, though, did clip Storm Claw in the shoulder; however, by that time, it was a bit late; Storm Claw was in too close range.   With a scream, Twilight kicked outward, hitting Storm Claw in the side of the head. However, as Twilight’s leg went back into normal position, Storm Claw lurched forward, recovering. Twilight gasped as she once more felt the unpleasant sensation of a knife entering her shoulder.   “Your strength isn’t up to par with hers, I’m afraid,” Storm Claw said, retracting his stab. He tried to follow this up with a slash, but Twilight’s horn flickered. A moment later, she was gone; Storm Claw’s cut had gone through thin air. Twilight wasn’t gone long; Storm Claw hopped backwards as a laser shot passed through where he was standing. Storm Claw threw a knife towards her, but Twilight teleported again. This time, when Twilight reappeared, she hit her mark with a laser shot.   Snarling in anger, Storm Claw began to toss out blades; Twilight continued to teleport away, occasionally blasting at him to get him to move, or for a hit. Whatever the case, Storm Claw’s frustration grew to new levels. Twilight appeared in front of him, but Storm Claw swatted her laser shot aside with another wave of the knife.   The griffin rifled through his body, and soon had knives between each of his hands.   “I will not lose to the likes of you!” Storm Claw shouted, “I refuse to go back to Tartarus empty handed!”   At that moment, both heard a huge bang in the distance. Storm Claw snarled, but his eyes soon went wide as he noticed a rainbow ring spreading from a spot a bit off in the sky. Moreover, he saw a very fast rainbow speeding from it, and it was heading right towards them. Twilight turned her head briefly, and soon warped out of the way, appearing on a nearby rooftop. A second later, Storm Claw felt nothing but pain and pressure in his torso as the rainbow—really Rainbow Dash, mid-Sonic Rainboom—smashed into him full-force. Storm Claw coughed violently as the rainbow seemed to rebound off of him, but that was the last he saw, losing consciousness as his body left the ground.   Storm Claw’s hands sprang open, dropping the weapons that they held, as he flew backward from the impact. The increased gravity on his body did little to slow the momentum. Storm Claw bounced once, twice, three times, before finally coming to rest against the side of a building. His eyes were blank. Storm Claw slumped forward onto the ground, utterly defeated.   Twilight, from her vantage point, sighed, clutching the last wound Storm Claw had left her with.   “That’s that…” Twilight said.   “I’d hope so…” Rainbow groaned, rubbing her head as she floated down next to Twilight, “If he gets up after that, I’m out of ideas…”   “Well, that won’t happen,” said Twilight, “And even if he’s only out for the moment, it won’t matter. I did learn a couple of spells specifically for the prisoners, after all.”   With that, Twilight lifted off, and both Twilight and Rainbow began to approach the unconscious form of Storm Claw. Twilight’s horn lit up as she focused her magic. Storm Claw’s vitals were still mostly okay; he’d live. That left just one thing left to do.   With a deep breath, Twilight began to cast a simple binding spell, one that would keep Storm Claw where he was until he could be collected. -------------------------------------- John and Kronos had both caught a second wind, both fighting even harder than they had before. Every strike threatened to be the last and yet neither would allow themselves to fall. Kronos, though he was still wearing Lyon’s hide, was starting to take more damage than before. John’s newfound strength was managing to get past the defense it offered. Even with Kronos’ own devastating blows still stacking, the battle stood at a stalemate.   As they fought, John managed to grab hold of Kronos and took off into the air, slamming Kronos’ body into a wall and dragging him along the surface. John then finished by throwing Kronos down towards the ground. Before Kronos could hit the ground, however, he managed to recover and land on his feet, more than ready for John’s charge. John closed in on Kronos and spun around to swing his tail. Kronos met it head on, parrying the attack aside. Stepping in close, Kronos struck John in the stomach, landing two more blows in quick succession before sending John flying back with a hard side kick.   John didn’t lose his balance, however; opening his wings, he managed to correct himself and slowed to a full stop. He looked to Kronos with a grain, Kronos returning in kind. Neither knew who would gain the upper hand in the battle, but both seemed to want it that way. They wanted the uncertainty of whether the next strike would win it or not, the knowledge that even giving it their all, they could still lose. At that point, it no longer mattered. All that was important was fighting the one standing before them.   And so the battle raged on.   John and Kronos collided once again, each throwing a flurry of punches while refusing to back down. When the punches stopped flying, both followed up with a powerful headbutt in the middle. The force of the impact rattled their skulls and drew blood, but even if they could feel it, they didn’t care. Both hopped away. John let out a torrent of flames, Kronos blocking by striking the asphalt beneath him and causing it to tip up in front of him like a shield. It succeeded in blocking the flames, but not John’s subsequent charge.   But as he cleared the area, he saw that Kronos was now above him and John took a strong heel kick to the top of his head, slamming his body to the ground. Though he was down, John was far from out. He could still feel Kronos’ heel on his head, a target for him to reach for. Quickly, his tail snapped Kronos by the ankle and pulled him hard enough to slam the tiger to the ground. Neither chose to stay down long, both scrambling to their feet once more.   Kronos, however, was slightly faster. He threw a punch towards John, but John was still able to react in time, parrying Kronos’ fist before it could hit its mark. He then followed up with a punch of his own, only for Kronos to grab hold. Kronos then twisted John’s arm and forced the dragon down to a single knee. With one hand still holding firm on John’s arm, Kronos brought another up before bringing it down on John’s head. John’s vision blurred from the impact—another hit, and he would lose consciousness.   Like hell I will! John let out a growl as another punch came down. Putting his focus into his wings, John extended them out, pushing them against Kronos. The push was just enough to cause the punch to miss—and it was enough to create the opening John needed. Putting as much weight into his body as he could John jerked forward and brought Kronos with him. For a brief moment he felt Kronos’ grip loosen, and he took his chance.   Finally, John was able to break free, and in order to gain some ground, he grabbed Kronos by his armor and threw him into the nearby wall. Kronos let out a cough on impact, some droplets of blood falling to the ground. Kronos wiped the blood away as John flew towards him again, but Kronos wasn’t going to wait. Instead, he met John’s charge, slipping past John’s defenses and ramming his shoulder into the dragon’s chest. The impact stunned John just enough for Kronos to grab hold of him, then, with as much strength as he could muster, he threw John’s body.   John flew away after being thrown, his body not only crashing into the side of a building several floors above, but crashing through the wall entirely. John’s body continued to fly, only stopping once he hit a second wall. Once John finally stopped, John looked through the opening he had made, surprised to see that Kronos had scaled the wall and was charging him once again. With a hard tackle, both Kronos and John crashed through to the other side of the wall and outside of the building.   The two flew across the way, and from the looks of it, they were going to collide with another building. John tried to break free of Kronos’ hold, but he was proving stubborn. John clenched his fist, carefully lining up a punch before throwing his arm out. He struck Kronos straight in the kidney, the sudden surge of pain causing Kronos to ease his hold. John took his opening and grabbed hold of Kronos, swinging him over and slamming him into the wall as they reached it.   John had then jumped off, hoping to use the sky to his advantage, but Kronos was not letting him get away. Just as his back was turned, John was grabbed hold from behind, Kronos’ arms clenched around his neck for a choke hold.   Shit! John thought to himself, feeling the iron grip around his windpipe tighten. Working quickly, John flew back and did what he could to break free, but this time, Kronos was not easing off for nothing. No matter how hard he flew, no matter how hard he’d slam Kronos into a wall, Kronos’ grip continued to tighten. As the seconds ticked by, John could feel his lungs slowly starting to burn. He was losing air, and fast.   “It’s just like that time, isn’t it?” Kronos said, “Your first battle with him, in the moment when it was your back against the wall. You wouldn’t believe how much he’d cursed your name after that day.”   John remembered it well, his first real fight. While some would say he’d won it, John himself no longer saw it as a win. And here he was now, backed against the wall once more. This time, though, he was the one in the chokehold. And if he didn’t break out of it soon, he likely wouldn’t be getting out at all.   “Now tell me, what will be your response? Will you break free, or after all you’ve tried to build yourself up, will you finally fall?” Kronos asked, his arms slacking for a moment’s breath before tightening even harder.   John pulled at Kronos’ arm, trying to get even a tiny bit of fresh oxygen to keep his mind thinking. As he searched for an answer, John found his gaze moving to the sky above. The sky seemed to stare back at him now—open and free, the very sky that was foreign to him before he came to this world. As he stared up to it, a thought crossed his mind. Just how high would he be able to go as he was now?   Then, something in his mind clicked.   Before he could even finish the thought, his body reacted. John’s wings flared and gave a powerful flap, then another, propelling him and Kronos high into the sky. Kronos could only hold on as the speed of their ascension continued to climb as they did. Kronos glanced down, seeing the city of Canterlot below them growing smaller and smaller with each second, until it was nothing more than a small patch of land beneath them.   “So this is your answer,” Kronos smirked in spite of the danger the situation had brought, “So be it.”   To John’s surprise, Kronos released his grip, but before John could turn to face him, John was met with a searing pain in his right wing. John screamed and reached for it. His eyes flicked to it as well—the wing was bent at an awkward angle in the middle, definitely broken. At that instant, Kronos and John’s rapid ascent began to slow, and John finally turned back to his opponent.   “Now, it’s left to fate,” said Kronos. Both stared at one another as their climb finally ended. In the moment before gravity re-asserted itself on their bodies, John and Kronos nodded, a silent acceptance of the new terms. As soon as the fall started, the battle continued once more.   Technique was no longer a factor, both trading punches with one another. Their blood began to splatter about with each impact. Their fall was growing faster and the ground was getting closer, and neither looked down as the air currents around them began to grow stronger. With the city rapidly swelling in size beneath them, one of them finally got an upper hand. Two hands were thrust into John’s chest—Kronos had gotten hold of him, and held him close, using him as a barrier to break their fall.   John looked down—seconds to go before impact.   “It was a valiant battle, well worthy of being my hundredth, but now, I’m afraid, it’s over,” Kronos said. But he couldn’t quite see John’s face—he couldn’t see the lack of concern.   “You know, up there, when you broke my wing, you made one mistake,” Kronos arched a brow, no time to think of what John was trying to say, “You should have broken both!”   John’s left, unbroken wing suddenly shot out, the resistance of the wind pushing it upwards, and to Kronos’ dismay, flipping them over. John quickly took hold of the hide, now on top. In the final moments before impact, it was Kronos who was falling first. With wide eyes, Kronos looked down, the roof of a building below them.   In his final moments, Kronos closed his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.   I have no regrets… -------------------------------------- Corey stood his ground for a moment, taking the time to cast glances at the screens around him. Norma, meanwhile, hopped back, snapping her fingers towards the ceiling. Corey looked up, seeing what was left of the floor above start crashing down at him. Corey leapt forward, avoiding the remaining debris as he did so, clenching one fist.   Norma responded to his charge by extending her palms at him, forming a barrier and firing it out. Corey couldn’t counter this in time, and was blown off his feet by the attack, quickly recovering and standing back up. Norma scoffed at this. Of course he wasn’t going to give her any openings…   “Tell me something,” Norma said, “Why do you fight so hard for a world that isn’t even yours!?”   “I don’t think I have a way home either way,” Corey said, looking around a little, taking time to check the screens again, “Far as I can tell, I’m here for good!”   “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there??” Norma asked. Corey snapped to attention again, vanishing in a blur. Norma let out another shriek as she was kicked backwards, but quickly recovered, firing a few laser shots at Corey from her palms.   “Do you know what I saw in you each and every time you were in my feed? I didn’t see the same kind of valor within you that the rest have!” Corey swatted away Norma’s laser shots, running parallel to her for the moment. Norma cocked back her other arm, readying another air pressure shot.   “What I see in you, even now, is a foal trying to play hero! But as I recall, you couldn’t take the pressure!” Norma shouted. Corey hesitated for a moment, and Norma let loose with the air pressure blade. Corey stepped to the side, but still suffered a cut into his shoulder for his efforts. Corey’s hand went to the new wound as he tried to steady himself. There was a moment of pause.   “You know…” Corey sighed, “I don’t get it. You and Slayer both tried that today now. But of course I was going to break under these circumstances once… up until I came here I’d never been in this kind of situation!”   Corey removed his hand from his shoulder at this point, runes glowing as the new wound closed. His hand continued to glow as he raised his palm at Norma.   “The power I’m using now, though, is proof I have finally adapted!” Corey shouted. A laser soared at Norma, who raised glowing palms again. She caught the bolt, but it was a bit heavier than she thought it would be, and she struggled against the weight of it, “And the fact I beat Slayer despite his cheap tricks this time… that should tell you something.”   Norma threw the bolt aside, rushing in close, her right hand glowing with red runes. Whatever attack she had in mind didn’t hit home or even happen—Corey moved out of the way swiftly, grabbing her wrist with that hand. He tried to punch her, but she caught his fist. Norma tried to move her other hand, but Corey’s grip wasn’t going to budge.   The sound of a hard impact caught their respective attention, and both looked to the screens. Norma’s eyes widened as she saw Storm Claw fly across the road, landing hard against the building before going immobile. A few seconds later, Norma’s eyes trailed up to another screen. Kronos had been defeated as well.   “Impossible…” Norma muttered. Even the second wave of her creatures was being beaten back.   “Seems like I was right…” Corey said, “They’ve finished their jobs. I know they’ll be here soon. Even if you beat me in the interim, it looks like you hardly have stamina or magic left. It’s only a matter of time before—“   Norma’s arms suddenly bulged, red runes coming off the surface, and she moved her arms upward, throwing Corey off-balance. She then struck him hard in the chest, knocking him over. With this done, Norma began to move, fleeing the room. Clutching the area where she’d hit him, Corey stood up slowly as he assessed the damage from Norma’s strike. He then closed his eyes in focus, trying to figure out where Norma was heading.   Corey smirked to himself as he realized where she was going, letting out a small, dry scoff. --------------------- Norma began to move—she knew full well where she was going. If the tactic she was about to use worked on Celestia, it would certainly work on Corey as well, she thought, as she began to make her way for the statues of the princesses. It probably would have been a bluff—she hardly had magic left, and Corey seemed to be somewhat aware of it.   Norma didn’t get lost, surprisingly, though it was her first time in Canterlot Castle. Her instincts guided her to the room where she’d left Celestia and Luna in their petrified states, but as she stepped through the doorway, she realized something was very off.   The statues were missing.   “What?” Norma asked, “Is this not the right room…”   “I think you have the right place,” Norma whirled around to see an aura-cloaked Corey approaching her slowly, “But I think you’ll find something is missing. Something you were probably wanting to use against me in some way…”   “How…” Norma said, “How could you have possibly gotten them out without my knowledge??”   Corey couldn’t withhold a content smirk as he took in a deep breath. --------------------- Corey had gone to confront Norma as soon as he sensed the disturbance, but he didn’t go alone. Something about the situation just didn’t seem right. Norma’s chill was muted entirely by Celestia’s presence right up until the heat disappeared. He’d managed to find a few guards closer to the castle and brought them with him. And as Norma began to prepare her speech, Corey and the guards waited outside the door. Corey peered into the room as soon as he felt he could risk it, and confirmed the horrifying sight himself. “Sure enough…” Corey said in a hushed tone, “She couldn’t defeat them outright, so she turned the princesses to stone.” “Turned… to stone…?” asked one of the guards, stunned. The other two murmured among themselves, clearly not sure of what to make of the new information. “They’re still alive in there, I’m sure…” Corey said, “This isn’t over. If she can be defeated, the princesses can be saved, as long as they’re kept whole…” “What are you going to do?” asked a second guard. “I’m sure she’s used up a lot of energy on them alone… I’ll fight her. You three hide somewhere nearby, and when Norma and me are out of sight, you take the princesses as far as you can from this battle,” Corey said. “Won’t she try to hold them hostage if you do anything?” a third guard asked. “I’m going to make a guess…” Corey said, “She didn’t come for any of us first. She went straight to the leader… perhaps she sees me and the others involved in her so-called ‘game’ as beneath her. I highly doubt she’ll try that.” At that moment, Norma began her speech. Corey turned to the guards, and reminded them to stick to their plan. The guards vanished from Corey’s sight as Norma continued her speech. And when she finished, Corey made his move. ----------------- “In the end, I was correct,” Corey said, “Up until now, you haven’t thought that much of me. It never crossed your mind to use them against me. That is, until you saw the other prisoners defeated and your time table being cut short.”   Norma tightened her fists. “Just how do you know that…”   “And you going for the princesses…” Corey explained further, “That seals it. Your back is to the wall now! This is my chance!”   As soon as the final word left his mouth, Corey vanished in a blur, landing a few light punches on Norma before knocking her back with an impact spell. Norma groaned loudly as she was sent through the wall, and found getting back to her feet being a little difficult after that attack. Corey had raised his hands at her again, and was firing more blasts at her. Norma raised her palms outward, rapidly creating a barrier—   A blast got past her surprisingly shrunken defense, and she felt herself collapse to one knee as the other began to sear with pain for a few moments. Norma’s barrier dropped, as shock overcame her.   I-I’m being pushed… by the likes of… of…   Norma screamed, sending a wall of red at Corey. Corey guarded against it, finding it to be a shockwave of pure blunt force. Corey’s shoes skidded hard against the marble floor. He peered over his crossed arms, seeing Norma firing a few more laser shots at him from her palms as she made her way to the next room.   Now where’s she going!? Corey thought to himself, swatting the lasers away as they got too close. He gave chase, and Norma glanced behind her, leaping up and back as she turned around.   “Even now, you are no more than a pest!” Norma shouted, putting one hand to the ground and firing out a single earthen pillar.   “This pest is being one hell of a roadbump to you, though!” Corey increased his speed with a spell, and with the added momentum, he leapt up, easily clearing the attack. Corey then twisted his body, bringing one leg back. He then kicked out, Norma throwing up both of her arms to defend from the jump kick. She staggered a little from the strike, but before Corey could capitalize, Norma clenched both of her fists, bending her knees slightly.   Red runes crackled off her body, and a moment later, Norma let out a shout, creating a shockwave of pure energy that knocked Corey off his feet. Corey slammed hard into the wall, letting out a cough as he rubbed the back of his head.   “Damn…” Corey groaned, getting to his feet.   “Just what do you intend to do by standing against me??” Norma demanded, “On your own, no less. Do you truly believe you can be a hero?”   Corey sighed, stretching his arms a bit. “I’ve always played it at since I was a kid. Just a pretend game here, a pretend game there. I’d always have the kinds of powers I’d seen in fiction, protecting whatever I thought was important. Until I came here, I didn’t know what that meant. I just know I liked the idea more than anything else.”   Norma watched as Corey’s stance began to change. He squatted a bit, his arms slowly moving—left arm up, right arm down, palms slightly open.   “The kind of power that, as it turns out, the magic here is sort of like,” Corey continued, as his arms moved, white-gold runes starting to dance off the surface of his palms. His left arm moved down and his right arm moved up, before both palms pointed out at Norma suddenly. His right palm was angled with the knuckles pointing up, and the left palm was angled with the knuckles pointing down.   Just what is he doing… Norma thought, watching him intently, but all the while discretely moving a hand towards her torso, her hand closing around an orb.   “With the power I have right now, and the capability to be that kind of hero… I can finally do something I’ve wanted to do for real, ever since I was a kid!” Corey’s upper body changed so that the palms formed a cup behind him, and a whitish ball of energy began to form, rapidly swelling in size.   Then, Corey spoke, saying an incantation that Norma had never heard before, as he thrust his arms out in the same position they had just been.   “Ka-me-ha-me-ha!”   Norma’s eyes widened immediately as Corey’s attack took the form of a surprisingly large beam—the sight of which obscured his body and aura from view. The attack cleaved through the floor as it surged towards Norma, and for a split second Norma was overwhelmed with shock as it drew close… ---------------------------------------- Twilight and Rainbow both stood close by the unconscious, bound Storm Claw. Both were trying to get their bearings before they tried to go to the battle.   “You think he’ll be able to hold on a bit longer?” Twilight asked, glancing up towards the castle.   “He seemed sure of himself, Twi,” Rainbow pointed out, “But if you’re that worried about him, we should probably get going…”   Both looked to each other for a moment, before they heard a distant rumble. Then, their eyes widened as they looked towards the castle.   A white explosion of magical energy surged out from one of the towers, visible smoke rising. Both Twilight and Rainbow straightened to their full height as they looked to the castle.   “Whoa, what was that??” Rainbow asked. Twilight remained silent, trying to process what she was seeing. Nothing came to her.   “Just what’s going on up there…” Twilight murmured.