Collision Code

by SSJRandomMaster

Act 3 Chapter 28

Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 28: The Dreamstalker, Revealed
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The fire roared all around them. Many of those inside the blazing walls were already beginning to sweat from the intense heat. The only one who didn’t seem to be feeling any ill effects was the one who caused it all, the elusive Kurama. This time, though, he wasn’t in the dream realm, preying on the weak, it was a battle in the real world. But Kurama got the drop on the search team, and it seemed that they were now trapped in a cage of his own design…

Or so he thought.

“Now!”

Several of the unicorn guards banded together, their horns glowing as spells began to go off. Other guards ducked for cover under various shields as the spell began to take action. In front of the guards, an orb began to form, growing larger by the second until becoming big enough to encase them all. Finally, the orb exploded and its contents sprayed out in all directions. Immediately afterward, the fire around them began to fizzle, steam rising from the ground as Kurama’s flames were snuffed out.

“Word spread fast over how you escaped the guards in your first encounter,” said one of the guards, “This time, we came prepared for it.”

“And some of us came prepared for a rematch,” said another, his sword long since drawn for battle. Kurama hadn’t said a word, though he most likely wouldn’t have been heard anyway; the guards charged, letting out a collective yell. One of them managed to reach him quickly, swinging the sword just like when they first fought. Each swing was fast and dangerous, and would definitely cause a grievous injury if it connected. Just as before, Kurama dodged each attack easily, but the guard knew he’d eventually hit his mark.

But then something different happened. With as much might as the guard could muster, he stabbed at Kurama. For a moment, it seemed like his sword would make contact, but in the split second before the tip of the blade could make contact, Kurama moved. With great speed, Kurama dashed away from the tip of the blade, and was now behind the guard.

So fast…! The guard thought, his eyes barely capable of keeping up with Kurama’s movements. His body was nowhere near capable of avoiding the sweep kick that knocked him off balance. This was followed with Kurama elbowing him to the side which instantly knocked the wind out of his lungs and grounded him.

Kurama was about to go for another attack on the guard, but his actions was cut short when something constricted around him. Turning his head, he saw what appeared to be a lasso tied around him, pinning his arms to his side. At the other end of that rope was a rather confident-looking Applejack.

“Forget about me?” she asked through a smirk.

“And me?” Again Kurama turned his head, only to see a flash of red when something struck him on the side of his head. This strike was from a heel kick delivered by an angry-looking Fluttercruel.

“I still owe you that and more for last time. And this time you won’t be getting away,” she said. Kurama staggered from the kick but still managed to stand his ground. That was difficult, however; Applejack was pulling on the rope tied around him

“I’ve heard that on multiple occasions,” his voice was still as calm as ever. His body began to glow as embers engulfed his cloak. Even the rope tied around him seemed to heat up from the flames, but to his surprise, it did not turn to ash.

“I ain’t sorry to tell ya, but the material used to make this rope was supplied by Pinkie Pie. Durable, fireproof, and dragon tested!” With that, Applejack pulled on the rope as hard as she could, forcing Kurama off his feet and to the ground.

“Fire!” On command, several waiting guards shot off a laser towards Kurama the moment he hit the ground. Unable to recover from his fall fast enough, the lasers hit their target and resulted in a massive explosion of magic and rubble, forcing those not behind cover to get low.

“Did we get him?” asked Fluttercruel. Everypony was now standing cautiously as they waited for the smoke to clear. Before they could fully see, Applejack felt a strong tug on her rope and immediately had her answer.

“Get ready to fire again!” she called out to the other guards. As they prepared, there was an explosion from inside of the smoke cloud, dispersing it. Everyone took a moment to see what was in front of them. It was obvious Kurama was now on his feet, but his cloak had been destroyed from the magnitude of the attack he’d just been hit with. Now, with no further obstructions and tricks of the dream world, they were finally able to see what he really was.

“A… fox…?” Fluttercruel was the first to question it. There was no mistaking it; he definitely looked like one, though not quite like other foxes out in the world. He was larger and obviously more intelligent than a common fox. Kurama’s fur was also not orange in color, but was white with black markings around his eyes and down his limbs.

“I commend you,” he said, his voice only betraying the slightest hint of surprise, “Not many find the opportunity to see my true form,” As he spoke, something seemed to come out from behind Kurama, appearing to be made of magic, “And even fewer have lived to tell the tale afterward.”

After a few moments, the tendrils of magic solidified, and took the form of tails.

“Two tails?” Applejack questioned. As soon as she did, however, both tails wrapped around the rope and tugged back, hard. Applejack let out a sharp grunt as she planted her feet, still being dragged forward from the force of the pull. Fluttercruel quickly joined Applejack and grabbed on to the rope, hoping to offset the balance just enough to pull back. With one strong tug, both she and Applejack were tossed over, the latter letting go of the rope.

“Fire again!” the guards did as they were commanded, but this time, Kurama was no longer being held still. Kurama wasn’t capable of avoiding some of the attacks, but the ones that he couldn’t outright dodge, he swatted away with his tails.

“You didn’t tell us he had tails!” said Applejack, but the guards she spoke with looked just as surprised as she was.

“He didn’t, I mean, not that we saw. And he definitely wasn’t this strong last time either,” For a moment, the guards began to collectively wonder if this was even the same creature they’d fought that night. So far, the rope tied around him seemed to have a strong hold on him, but there was no telling what would happen should he get free.

“Don’t matter how strong he is now,” Applejack said, “We know the rope can hold him. Just keep him busy and stick to the plan.” The guard nodded and charged into formation with the others. Applejack cracked her knuckles before casting a quick glance behind herself, “We’ve got this,” she said before joining in.

Though Kurama’s tails served as a defensive buff towards oncoming lasers, the unicorn guards did not let up. They were firing from all angles hoping to land even one hit, hoping to make a bit of difference. While they were content with firing as much as they could stand to, Kurama was growing tired of this. No longer wishing to merely evade the oncoming attacks, Kurama planted his feet as his body began to glow. His tails then drilled into the ground.

The ground split as a rush of molten rock pulsed through them, spreading out to the opposing guards. Some managed to get out of the way, but others weren’t capable of avoiding the explosions that met them when the expanding cracks reached far enough. Several were knocked away, many falling unconscious, but the others did not let up.

“Struggling until the last man…” Kurama noted, “Commendable, but foolish. In due time, none will be left, and your efforts will have been rendered useless.” Though his voice was brimming with confidence, he still struggled with his bindings. If nothing else, it was a constant reminder he was still vulnerable.

“I beg to differ,” something dropped from above Kurama, giving him a fraction of a second to leap back before it connected. It wasn’t another laser, though; it was an arrow, and it was glowing a light blue color. He didn’t have much time to get away before the arrow quickly expanded into a large chunk of ice. Looking up, he saw a flying Fluttercruel staring down at him, a bow and arrow at the ready.

And she wasn’t alone.

“Fire!”

She and several other pegasi in the air had drawn back their bow strings and let loose. The arrows soared down towards him. In response, he attempted to smack one away with his tail, but that proved to be a mistake; the moment his tail struck the arrow, the ice enchantment activated and the tip of his tail was frozen. With that, he knew he couldn’t risk them touching him, or else things would get even worse for him. But as the dodging continued, he found that his trouble was doubled. He wasn’t just dodging a rain of ice arrows from above; he was dodging lasers from around him as well. He couldn’t risk blocking one without making contact with the other.

This is becoming tedious, he thought to himself. His options were being narrowed down to nothing rapidly. His arms were bound to his sides with flame-resistant rope. His opponents also had a counter-strategy for his pyro magic, and he was being fired upon from virtually all angles. It just didn’t seem like he had any other choice. A strategic retreat is in order…

Live to battle another day; some called it cowardly, even fewer had a chance to say it again. So long as he was victorious in the end, Kurama saw no fault in running away when your chances were slim. But running now was definitely difficult. Unlike in a dream, he needed to find a way to make his opponents back off. But as he tried to process a strategy for this, he’d found that he had somehow stopped moving.

What? It took him but a moment to notice a pull that had been relieved a while ago. Looking over to where the rope was stretched, he could see that it was the same pony who had held the rope last time. At first, he thought it was simple; overpower her, and she’d release her grip. In the moment he began to move, he realized something very important.

There was no traction.

He looked down at his feet to see that the ground was covered in ice, caused by the constant flow of enchanted arrows from above. He couldn’t get a grip on the ground, which meant his superior strength was neutralized as well. Applejack already knew this, of course, and she planned to take full advantage of it. She planted her feet firmly into the not-frozen ground she was standing on and yanked the rope with all her might, the force causing Kurama to lift off of his footing. She wasn’t done; now that he was in the air, Kurama would learn just what it felt like to be at someone else’s mercy.

Continuing her move, Applejack began to spin the captured Kurama only a few feet of the ground. With every second she would spin him faster and faster until she felt she couldn’t muster anymore momentum. After almost a full minute, she finally stopped her spin, letting go of the rope and allowing the force built up to do the work. Kurama flew through the air at high speed, falling until he met with the hard ground. His body rolled through the grass for several more feet until skidding to a halt just short of a tree.

The guards and Fluttercruel gathered behind Applejack as they waited to see what would happen next. To no one’s surprise, Kurama began to rise from the ground, notably irritated by having been thrown across the field.

“You’re putting up a better fight than I expected,” he said, “But it’ll take more than throwing me to win…”

“Oh, we know.”

Then, to Kurama’s surprise, virtually everypony he was facing raised their hands and placed a ringer in their ears and turned away. Kurama simply stood there blinking. They had all turned their back to him at the same time. Just what were they thinking? Were they trying to lure him into attacking, making him think they’d spontaneously dropped their guard? Or were they hoping he’d drop his and try to escape while he believed he had the chance. So many questions and outcomes came rushing into his mind at once and not one made any sense.

“Just what are they planning…?”

“Well, if we told you then it wouldn’t be a surprise!”

Kurama blinked and looking up just as something dropped down in front of him. It was Pinkie Pie, who was now standing in front of him with a large smile, her hands behind her back. Also, she was sporting a pair of borrowed sunglasses.

“See, that’s how surprises work, if you don’t see them coming, then they’re all the better!” Her tone was impossibly peppy given the situation, which only further confused Kurama.

“I’ll give you an example!” Finally, Pinkie’s hands came out from behind her back, revealing the object she was holding, “Surprise!!”

Pinkie threw the object at Kurama; in the time it took for her to put her own fingers into her ears, both objects exploded into a flash of light and sound. Kurama instantly found himself blinded and deafened, unable to hear anything but a high-pitched ringing. However, his sense of touch was still there, and he felt something wrapping around his body.

It wasn’t until the light cleared did he finally see what had been done to him. It was more rope, just like the one that had held his arms down. Now, however, it was wrapped around most of his body including his legs. He wasn’t able to keep his balance for long and soon found himself falling over.

“See, surprising!” Pinkie said as the others ran up behind her. The guards were noticeably surprised that the plan had worked as well as it had. Pinkie had made sure to remain in hiding until the moment Kurama was totally vulnerable.

“Target subdued,” one of the guards said, “Now on to the next phase of the plan: prepare the interrogation room. We have to find out how to cancel his spell.”

They all began to surround Kurama, cautious for any further tricks. Through magic, they lifted him off the ground and began to move him.

“Enjoy your trip back to Tartarus,” said Fluttercruel with crossed arms. Kurama, however, did not acknowledge her, instead looking up into the skies.

“I was once asked…” he started to say, “In a realm owned by another, how was I capable of avoiding Princess Luna for so long…”

A faint glow began to emanate from his exposed head, paws and feet.

“It’s simple, really; I was patient, and never one to overstep my boundaries, for it would result in my downfall,” The glow grew stronger as fire sparked around his body. Everyone turned to him and took a step back, wondering what he was doing. There was no way for him to get free. His bindings were stronger than a dragon’s strength and his fire didn’t effect it at all.

Right?

“All I did was sit back, bide my time, and wait,” Slowly, Kurama smirked, “It is just as the saying goes: ‘good things come to those who wait’!”

Catching everyone else off-guard, Kurama’s magic exploded out, knocking those around him back a bit, letting Kurama fall to the ground.

“What’s happening?” questioned Fluttercruel, her counterpart’s knowledge failing her. No one else seemed to know either. Now that he was free of the unicorn guards’ magic, he was holding himself upright through the use of his own. Everyone watched as the fire around him seemed to grow stronger by the second. The heat it gave off stretched around a large radius.

“These bindings are impressive, but I wonder,” Kurama said, “Just how much heat can they take?”

Applejack turned to look at Pinkie Pie, only to be given a look of worry in response. Fire was one thing, but even steel melted under enough heat. And right now, they were sure they were going to find out now. Soon, the bindings glowed as the fires grew to a dangerous level, the ground under him turning to sand from the intense heat. Finally, when it seemed the heat couldn’t get any stronger, Kurama’s bindings reached their limits, crumbling to ashes.

He was free.

That wasn’t the worst of it, though. As he stood there looking on at the others, they noticed something different. All this time while they were fighting against him, they saw that he had two tails. But now that he was free, now that his bound tails were visible once more, they noticed it.

“Three…?”

They didn’t know how it happened or where it came from, but now Kurama was sporting a third tail.

“Now then, shall we continue?”

His tails quickly lashed out before anyone could respond. They knocked away anyone that was within their long reach without any resistance. Even Applejack couldn’t avoid the oncoming attacks, only having enough time to raise her arms in defense before impact. Strong as she was, she couldn’t handle the force behind the attack and was knocked back. The fur on her arm ignited upon contact, but the flames were put out when she rolled along the ground. Burns were the least of her concerns when she stopped, though. Placing her hand on the ground to rise again, Applejack suddenly felt a surge of pain rush up her arm.

“Ah!” she screamed as she rolled to her side and held it. It didn’t feel broken, but it sure hurt like it did.

“Cover Applejack!” yelled Pinkie as she and Fluttercruel dashed to Applejack’s aid. Before they could even get halfway there, before the guards could even begin to attack, Kurama moved first at blinding speed. He placed himself between them and Applejack, his back to them as he stared down at the injured pony.

“Now then,” he said, raising a glowing hand, the magic around it purple in color, “How about we start with you?” Applejack could get up, but she knew she wouldn’t be capable of much. Moving her arm even in the slightest was too painful. She couldn’t fight back like that. As one of his tails snared her leg, she found her ability to run was also eliminated.

“Try not to struggle,” said Kurama, “But worry not; you won’t have to worry about your arm for much longer.” Applejack began to sweat as Kurama’s tail dragged her closer to him. The others were unable to get closer, his other two at the ready to swat away oncoming attackers. There was nothing else Applejack could do but close her eyes…

And feel the ground quake under her.

“Wait, what…?” She opened her eyes again, only to see that Kurama was no longer looking towards her, nor the others and the guards. In fact, they too were looking in a different direction, all seemingly relieved by what they saw. Following their example, Applejack turned her gaze and quickly understood why.

Both John and Twilight had arrived; the former had most likely caused the quake upon landing.

“So that’s what you really look like, huh?” said John, starting to walk forward, ready to continue from where they left off in the dream realm. But even with the boost he’d gained, Kurama was tired from the prior battle. Taking on the rest of the guards would have been easy enough, but Kurama knew adding John and Twilight on top of that would be pushing it. He needed to find a way to retreat, and he already had one ensnared.

“That’s far enough,” Kurama said, dragging Applejack and lifting her off the ground, holding her out between himself and John. It was clear what this move was.

“Put her down, Kurama,” John said, stopping in his tracks, “Or else…” His pupils twitched, but no one saw it.

“I have a better proposal,” he said, “Allow me to escape with my hostage, and I’ll do nothing more to her. However, should you step out of line...” Kurama’s hand glowed again, and moved close to Applejack’s head, “Do we have a deal?”

“You think I’d stand back and let you do that to a friend?’ Without hesitation, John took a step forward, “Here’s how this is going to work, Kurama. You’re not leaving with her, and if you put her under a nightmare, then I promise you this: I will get her away from you right there and then, and what will follow is going to be a constant reminder of the mistakes you’ve made since you last broke out.”

If one paid enough attention, they could have noticed that Kurama gulped. It was subtle, but there. Usually, either-or situations came with a hesitation from the choosing party. But John didn’t even hesitate. And Kurama knew that he was dealing with a dragon—they typically made good on threats. If he didn’t choose his next move carefully, the results would be unfavorable.

“Very well,” Kurama said, slowly extending Applejack towards John. John, in turn, reached out as well, prepared to grab hold of her. But within the last few inches of making contact, Kurama smirked, and before John could react, he was forced to watch as Kurama’s tail snapped back, throwing Applejack straight into the air.

John looked up into the sky in disbelief then down at Kurama with slit pupils. Kurama only smiled as he knew just what John was going to do. After all, he wasn’t going to let it happen to a friend. Without a word, the dragon took off after Applejack as fast as his wings would take him. With John out of the way, Kurama had one other threat to deal with. While Twilight wasn’t a dragon, she was just as much of a threat. But he knew from experience how to deal with a princess…

His tails pointed upwards as orbs of magic began to spiral off their tips.

“And as for you, there are many who are currently unconscious. I wonder just how well they’d be able to avoid this…”

The orbs then launched into the sky, combining into one larger orb of magic and fire. Once it reached its max height, the orb exploded. From that explosion came a downpour of fireballs, each threatening those below.

Much as she wished she could take a jab at Kurama, Twilight wasn’t going to let others suffer over a grudge. Teleporting to the others, Twilight’s horn flared brightly as she charged a spell of her own. Using as much magic as she possibly could, she put a massive shield around herself and all the others who weren’t able to move. Each fireball that struck the shield was powerful, causing it to rattle with each impact. As she held it, she cast a glance over to a waving Kurama.

“Until next time, Princess,” He said before a spiral of fire engulfed him. As it vanished, so too did he.
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He was enraged by the stunt Kurama had just pulled, but he couldn’t let that stop him now. Having sped into the skies as quickly as Kurama had tossed her, John was quickly closing the gap between Applejack and himself. Already her rise had reached its end and she was slowly beginning to fall back to earth. Fortunately, John was ready for this, flying just below her and rising to meet her.

When he’d finally caught her, John allowed themselves to fall freely, slowing it down to a full stop. As he held her, he noticed she was already twitching in pain from the injury she’d suffered to her arm. He knew he’d have to bring her down slowly. In the distance where he’d left Kurama, John could see the orb that had exploded and the shield Twilight had created. The last thing he saw was Kurama, waving his hand as though he were seeing off a steamship.

As he watched Kurama vanish within the inferno of his own making, John could only muster one thing to say in response.

“Next time…”

Author's Note:

There we go and stuff. Yeah. Not much else to say.

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

John... there were pegasus around. You could have let one of them catch Applejack...

[first hand account]

6894408 or twilight