Collision Code

by SSJRandomMaster

Act 3 Chapter 30

Act III: Collision of Wills
Chapter 30: Kurama’s Fork
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Twilight’s library was silent. The hours went by, and before they knew it, the moon had risen once more. For a long time, the moon had been a pleasant sight, a reminder of a victory not far past. Now, it only served as a way to remind them of the passing time. This moon would mark the end of the first night since Kurama attacked Ponyville, and with that, Corey and all those in the hospital were one day closer to the end. And just like the previous night, all the searches to find Kurama in the real world had come up empty. Morale was starting to dwindle.

Twilight did what she could: she researched everything she could on lore of Kurama’s kind. She tried to find something that could help give them an edge over him. The others tried to help, but they couldn’t tell what was or what wasn’t helpful from the near endless text from the countless books she’d assembled. Any attempts to help out on John’s end would be impossible. As far as they knew, only he had the power to jump into dreams.

Just like Twilight, John had been in search mode for several hours, and none knew how well Twilight’s search was going or how much longer it would be until John awoke. It was frustrating. The others couldn’t do much of anything to help, only able to wait until the call to battle was made. Even then, their inability to make a difference was increasing all the while. Kurama was getting stronger the longer he stalled, and even if they did find him, he’d probably manage to weasel his way out of defeat like he did earlier.

For some, like Applejack, sitting on the sidelines was all they could do, whether they liked it or not. They could only wish that they could help, even if just a little. There were also some that had grown too tired of waiting, unable to take the silence.

“Hey, where are you going??” The others watched as Fluttercruel made her way to the front door.

“Yeah, we have to wait until the guards find Kurama!” called out Rainbow.

“You can wait if you want,” she said, turning back, “But I’m not just going to sit around anymore. I’m going to find a way to help… my way.”

Before anyone could ask as to what that was, she closed the door behind her. The others looked at each other for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.

“Should one of us go with her?” asked Rarity.

Truth be told, no one had a chance to get into any prolonged conversations with Fluttershy’s split personality. With everything that had happened, they had been focused on finding Kurama, before and after she got control of the body.

“She’s brash, but she doesn’t seem reckless. Chances are, she won’t do anything that would put Fluttershy in danger. For now, let’s trust her judgment and wait for the results,” Twilight said. However, she knew deep down she would take anything at this moment. So far, her research had come up with nothing. There were many references in books that spoke of how to repel fox spirits, but they were either illogical or downright unpleasant. But she wasn’t going to stop. If there was one way to help push back Kurama, she was going to find it.

She couldn’t bear the thought of what might happen if they failed here…
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An endless sea of stars, each of them separate, but at the same time, they are connected by one being. How does she do it?

John was still flying through the realm of dreams. He was still having trouble understanding how much power a single pony would have in order to command it all. That very pony had granted him the power to travel into it at will. Even with this gift, something that should be capable of leveling the playing field, he was still in a losing battle. He could still see the stars of those he couldn’t save. No matter how far he flew, he could still see their darkened glow.

“How long have I been here…?” He couldn’t feel the passage of time while in the dream realm. Seconds and minutes just seemed to blur into one another, and every time he came out, he’d found that what seemed like a short time to him had actually been hours out in the real world.

“Even after everything we’ve done, I’m still no closer to finding him. And he’s just getting stronger… at this rate…!”

John paused, tightening his fist. He then proceeded to slap himself. There was no time for this. Thinking negatively was what lead to Corey being Kurama’s first victim, at least, of the ponies he knew personally. He was going to keep searching for Kurama, and he was going to find him.

Focus…

Floating in the void, John closed his eyes. Kurama’s magic had gotten stronger. Even if he’d managed to find a way to mask his signal, there was one thing he couldn’t change: the cold chill it gave off, almost like a soulless void that killed off any form of warmth. It was something that he couldn’t just turn off, no matter how hard he tried. It was the nature of the curse, after all.

If I can’t find what’s there, I’ll just find what isn’t, John changed his approach. Every star, every dream… each of them was fueled by the pony who created them. In turn, this generated a signal that was the opposite of Kurama’s:

Warmth…

He just needed to feel through the warmth of the dreams, and feel for what could be out of place inside. One by one, he scanned each dream, letting its gentle glow fill him until passing on to the next one. There were an odd few which were nightmares, but none were caused by Kurama. He’d experienced it twice now; John could tell the difference. He wondered just how much longer it was going to take. With the countless dreams of Ponyville and even more soon to come, he knew that this search would just get larger and larger as it went on.

“Wait…” John stopped on one dream. After allowing himself to sink deep into the warmth of its magic, he felt something out of place. Deep in the center, there was a faint hint of chill, and after just a few seconds of contemplation, John’s eyes opened, and his mouth curled into a snarl.

“Found you!” With a powerful flap of his wings, John launched towards the star. The glow in his eyes reappeared as the star expanded and a door opened. John flew through the door at a quick pace, the door closing not long after he had entered.
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“No…please, I beg of you!”

She could only pant heavily in fear, her body tied to a muffin cart. She was a gray pegasus pony with a blonde mane and tail. Before her stood Kurama, whose image was now completely clear. The pegasus known as Derpy struggled with her bindings as Kurama grew closer to her, his hand beginning to glow in his magic. Tears welled up in her walled eyes, the powerlessness sinking in painfully slow. She’d heard of this: the nightmare you can’t wake up from. It had already taken one of her friends, and now it looked like she was next…

“Please, don’t! I have a daughter!” she pushed against the chains, “I’m all she has!”

Kurama’s facial expression didn’t change. However, the speed of his walk did: he seemed to get slower at this. However, it wasn’t to back off. His curse was always more potent when the victim was absolutely filled with dread just before being stricken.

“Don’t worry,” Now his expression changed: a soulless smile as he looked down at the mother, “She’s next.”

Derpy’s eyes shrank at the thought: Dinky was going to be the next victim, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. All she could do was watch in horror as his glowing palm grew closer to her face.

“The younger ones always have the sweetest nightmares,” he commented, letting out a chilling chuckle as he got within inches of grasping Derpy by the head. But something else was gripped. Kurama felt a tight vice on his shoulder, and the pressure was building to an excruciating level. He turned his head towards the source of the pain, only to be blinded by the powerful impact. The force of the blow not only sent his head pitching in the direction of the attack, but his entire body flew away in a spiral arc.

Kurama’s body flew for several yards before finally crashing into the wall of a building not too far off. It didn’t take long for him to realize just what had hit him, and as he began to rise up from the rubble, he saw him staring back. John stood with his head held high, his eyes locked onto Kurama and the fist he struck him with full extended. However, his fist opened, and John swung his arm, cutting through the chains holding Derpy.

“Go,” He held his hand out to her, “Wake your daughter. He won’t get to her now…”

“T-thank you!” she said, grasping his hand. John’s eyes began to glow in that moment, and Derpy vanished from sight, waking in the real world. Kurama let out a grumble at having lost yet another victim, spitting out what looked like a tooth soon after.

“Did you enjoy that?” he asked, wiping the blood from his chin.

“Oh, more than you know,” John said. His hand practically tingled from landing the hit, even if it was only a dream, “So then, is this the part when you’ll try to run?”

Both he and Kurama stood straight up, staring at one another. The question remained in the air between them, but it wasn’t answered with words. From under John, two of Kurama’s tails shot out from the ground, the tips spiraling down towards him.

John managed to step back just in time to avoid the attack, and grabbed hold of one before it could retract. With a strong pull, John unearthed the extended tail and began pulling Kurama towards him. With one final yank, John let go of Kurama’s tail and brought his fist back for another punch. He threw out yet another strong punch, but Kurama was capable of reacting this time and used a second tail to block the blow.

Then, with his third and final tail, Kurama then grabbed onto John’s ankle and pulled hard enough to knock him off-balance. Swinging John around, Kurama managed to slam the dragon’s body into the side of a home and out the other. But that wasn’t enough to stop him, after having been released, John managed to get back on his feet and skidded to a halt. He then kicked off the ground and charged for Kurama again. In retaliation, Kurama’s tails began to glow purple as they each speared towards John. Each came close to him, but John managed to dodge each tail by the scales on his nose, and without any more oncoming attacks, he made a straight dash towards Kurama.

Though he tried to step away, it was too late. John had managed to get close enough and struck him hard in the stomach. Kurama flew backwards quickly, using his tails to slow himself to a stop after a few feet. If the punch had hurt at all, he wasn’t showing any signs of it. John stood in place as he stared down at Kurama, confusion flooding his mind.

He can’t take me. He knows that… so why isn’t he trying to run? It happened every time someone encountered Kurama. If at some point they were capable of turning the tide against him, Kurama would retreat soon after. Was this some kind of trick? Was he setting a trap for him?

No! John shook his head, banishing the negative thoughts. Kurama was right here in front of him, and was finally capable of fighting him. He couldn’t let this chance pass after so many failed attempts to catch him already. Digging his claws into the ground, John launched forward into a full sprint.

I have to fight him, I have to defeat him, and I have to—

Suddenly, John’s eyes grew wide, and he slowed to a stop. He stood with a look of disbelief for several seconds; Kurama, in turn, offered a small grin. He was feeling it again, that same cold sensation that he used to track Kurama in the first place. But it wasn’t coming from the one standing in front of him. Worse still, it wasn’t even coming from the dream he was currently in.

“How…” John stumbled over his words, but just once, “How am I sensing two of you?!” His confusion soon turned to rage. Kurama simply chuckled, something that only further angered John. He charged anew.

“Answer me!” he roared, closing the distance between them quickly. John grabbed hold of Kurama and pinned him against a nearby tree. Kurama simply looked down at John, not an ounce of worry in his face.

“You’d be surprised what you can do in this realm; that is, if you have enough magic,” John’s mind began to race. He wondered, just what was Kurama capable of now that he had three tails… was he able to clone himself? Was he able to go into multiple dreams at once? The idea was haunting; it meant Kurama could double his own efforts. And John was just one dragon, and was the only one allowed to act in order to find Kurama—and he could do so accurately.

What do I--? While lost in his thoughts, John hadn’t known he left himself open, and Kurama took advantage. With all his tails, Kurama struck John square in the chest and sent him spiraling back. Though he ended up falling on his back, John managed to get back on his feet, his thought process still ongoing.

“Even if you can clone yourself… one of you has to be the original!” John pointed straight at the fox, “Meaning that if I take you down, the other would vanish!” Yet again, he dipped into the world of fiction, but given where he was, he was fairly sure the same logic could apply in this world. But as sound as he managed to convince himself that his plan was, the never fading grin of Kurama wasn’t helping.

“And what makes you think I am the original?” John paused for a moment. The possibilities ran through his mind again. Maybe this was a trap, and Kurama had let a clone be tracked so that the real him could catch another victim. It all made sense when he thought of it. This Kurama had continued to fight regardless of the damage he’d taken. And this Kurama had been sloppy enough to let John catch him off-guard in the first place. If that were the case, then he’d need to get the other one.

But what if I’m wrong…? John’s fists tightened. He had two choices to make: continue to fight this one and hope it’s nothing more than a bluff, or go to the other and risk the first reaching another pony’s dream. Every second he spent thinking of this was another second wasted, another second someone else could be made to suffer. But what could he do? He was all alone here in the realm of dreams…

If only I had one more!!
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Everyone had gathered around John. They were waiting for him to emerge from the dream realm, but then they’d noticed some movement. It was slight at first, but then they had seen his body lurch slightly on several occasions. But that all stopped a few seconds ago, leaving the others to wonder what had happened.

“Do you think he found him?” asked Rainbow, “Think he’s fighting him now?”

The others weren’t sure. None of them could see what exactly happened to him once he’d entered the dream realm. If Rainbow was right though, and he was fighting him, then there was nothing they could do to help. John was the only one capable of jumping into another’s dreams, and it wasn’t like they could join in and help him… or so they thought.

“Wait! Look at that!” Pinkie said, pointing at John’s head. They all noticed another glow beginning to emanate from it. They had all seen this once before, back when they were taken into the hospital. Just like last time, a strand of magic came out of his head and slowly began to grow longer. Unlike last time, it didn’t connect to anything, leaving the others to wonder just what would happen. However, as they all stood like statues wondering what would happen next, one of them managed to step forward.

“Rarity!” Twilight called out, reaching out to her, but it was too late. The strand seemed to notice the movement, and it lashed forward latching itself to her horn. Everyone watched in shock as a white glow revolved around Rarity’s horn, and her eyes as well began to glow in the same manner as John’s. For a moment, they’d wondered just what had happened, but it soon began to sink in. Somehow, John had managed to bring Rarity into the dream realm with him.
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Never in his life had John had such a hard time making a choice, mostly because he’d never had to face such a consequence should he make the wrong choice. Kurama seemed to have all the time in the world, enjoying the torment that had befallen the dragon. But as he continued to enjoy the show, Kurama noticed something that surprised everyone. Three feet away from John, a tear seemed to open in space. At first, both thought it was Luna making another grand entrance. But that was dashed when it was revealed as to who it really was.

“R-Rarity!?” John said in shock, turning towards her. Rarity seemed to be a bit dazed, most likely from having been launched into a dream before she could even prepare herself, “What—how are you here??”

Rarity blinked several times before turning her head towards John.

“Here, where?’ she asked, looking around, “Where are the others?”

She thought it over for a moment before she remembered, “Wait… I understand… We were all looking at you when something happened. A strand of magic came out of your head and… I suppose you brought me here…”

John blinked in confusion. He hadn’t consciously tried to do anything like that. Had his magic just reacted to his desire for help?

“So, this is Kurama?” Though she’d heard about his appearance, this was the first time she’d seen his true form.

“Maybe…” John said. Rarity looked to him, “I can’t explain it, but I’m sensing two of him. My best guess is he can clone himself here, and now the other is rampaging in another dream. I was trying to figure out what to do… then you suddenly appeared here.”

Rarity nodded her head in understanding, and took a step forward, “Well then, why don’t you take care of the other, darling?”

She didn’t even look back when she said that. John did, however, and looked at her as though he’d heard something crazy.

“You aren’t thinking of taking him alone, are you?”

“Look at the options, darling. I can’t jump between dreams, and it seems you pulled me in with you unintentionally. What other option do you have?” John opened his mouth for a moment before closing it. Much as he didn’t want to admit it, or leave Rarity alone, he couldn’t deny that she had a point. Reluctantly, he turned around and opened a portal in front of him, putting one foot into the portal and making a half turn.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can… until then, please don’t do anything reckless, and don’t try to be a hero,” he said this more out of concern than anything else. He was already taking a big enough risk as it was, and he didn’t want to regret it. Rarity simply waved a dismissive hand at him.

“I’ll be fine, darling, trust me,” she said with a chuckle. John looked at her for a moment and nodded his head, jumping fully into the portal. When the portal closed, Rarity raised her hands and tied her hair into a bun, letting out a second chuckle.

“‘Don’t be a hero,’ he says,” Looking up at Kurama, Rarity gave off a full look of confidence, “Silly boy… it’s far too late to ask that of me.”
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Just as his first portal closed, a second opened in the dream where John had felt the other presence of Kurama’s magic. As soon as it opened, he made a mad dash forward, aiming to find the source and deal with it as soon as he could. He’d take down this Kurama, be it real or fake, with all his strength. Depending on the results, he’d return to help Rarity. The area was rough, jagged, and was filled with nothing but large spires of rock as far as the eye could see.

They weren’t going to slow him down, though. He could feel the magic growing stronger with every step he took. In the distance, he could see an opening, and he was willing to bet anything that he’d find this other Kurama there. The light shone brightly as he reached the opening. It was enough to blind him for a second. When the light faded, he looked up, and quickly felt regret fill him once again.

What he saw wasn’t Kurama by any means. It wasn’t even close. It was a creature that stood maybe fifty feet high. It had multiple heads attached to its upper torso, which was comprised of several spikes. Its bottom half was that of a serpent’s tail, which was coiled. Unlike a serpent, however, this creature had arms—four, in total—one of which was holding a massive sword. It was already clear what had happened, but the creature’s multiple heads chose to voice it for him.

“You chose poorly!”

Author's Note:

Here we go. Yeah...

Comments

[ShadowLight96]

Oh shit.