Sunset and the group waited patiently at the train station, as the sun began to rise over the station. It had been a day since their fight with Frozen Mist, and they had acquired the remaining Stand arrows. Though she doubted it would make the news, it would still raise eyebrows if they went missing, and as such, Twilight had gone through great trouble of using Deep Purple to junk all the security footage, as well as promising to hide the arrows away. Now, they just needed to get ready for whatever awaited them at the strange mansion.
Twilight came bounding up, waving to the group. "I'm here, don't go yet!"
"We weren't." Rainbow said, looking around. "Are you sure this is a safe trip."
"Celestia used some connections to get us the best train tickets on such short notice." Sunset explained, gesturing to the train. "And I doubt anyone else could've scheduled the exact same train in such short notice."
After a moment, she looked around, and gestured over her shoulder. "Alright, come on. We've got a train to catch. I hope you all brought everything you need."
With nothing else left to do, they boarded the train, and headed out of town, and towards the unknown that awaited them.
Rainbow Dash lounged on her chair, kicking her boots up onto the seat in front of her, sighing in relaxation. Rarity walked by, cringing at her friend's actions, shaking her head.
"Where you raised in a barn?" She grumbled in irritation.
"Hey!" Applejack shouted in protest.
"Put your feet down, we're in public." Rarity admonished.
"Listen, we've been put through hell and more by these asshats." Rainbow Dash replied, shaking her head. "And we've got this whole train car to ourselves. We've earned this bit."
"Rainbow, just put your feet down." Sunset said, as she came in with a drink in hand. "There are still others on the train. Any one of them could be an enemy stand user."
Rainbow shrugged, and threw her feet down, as Pinkie Pie licked a cherry out of her sundae, balancing it on her tongue as Rainbow took a slug of OJ, and taped her fingers on an arm rest.
"So how long we gotta wait until we get there?" Rainbow asked, crossing her arms.
"Should be quite a few hours." Twilight said, taking out a book. "We just gotta relax for a bit."
"You bring an extra Daring Do novel?" Rainbow asked, looking over at Twilight.
Deep Purple appeared, pulled out a book, and tossed it to Rainbow, who caught it, and began paging through it, as the group settled in.
A man walked towards the door to a train car, looking around for a moment, before opening it, and stepping inside, taking a seat down, as he sat his suit case down in front of him, and, after looking around once more, began opening it up, clicking off various locks, and finally opening it up, as he looked around once more for any others inside the car. Inside, where files of all the different members of Sunset's team, if it could be called that.
The man readjusted his silk purple and black suit, and gently plucked his sunglasses off of his nose, folded them up, and tucked them into his breast pocket. He looked around for a moment, before pulling out his cell phone. He waited patiently, as the dial rang for a moment, before someone picked up.
"Yeah?" Asked a groggy voice on the other end.
"I have infiltrated the Train they are, and beginning to select my target, any suggestions?" The man asked.
"Shit, Crimson Vision, some people say hello." The guy grumbled on the other end in irritation. "Are you sure you want to go this alone."
"I am certain." Crimson answered stoically. "Stay where you are. If worse comes to worse, I'll put one of my Attendants in action."
"The creepy corpse lady is freaking me out." The man complained, as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "If you want my suggestion, go for Rainbow Dash first, she can't get her Stand inside here."
"I was thinking that." Crimson replied, scratching his chin. "But perhaps Fluttershy would be better. Without healing, they can't really do much."
"That also sounds good." The other man said. "You got a plan."
"I'll use Iron Sabbath to bend a few of the workers and others on-board to attack Sunset and her little girl scout party." Crimson said stoically. "If worse comes to worse, I'll have to fight them. Hopefully, I can do this quickly, without trouble."
"Alright, good luck." The other man said.
Crimson hung up, and stood up, looking over the files again, before nodding and activating his Stand. A small, pink and grey figure appeared, with long, humanoid arms, goat-like legs the waist down, and a horse-like head with red eyes. The figure only came up to Crimson's knee, but he stood confidently, as the Stand stood at attention. He walked along, making his way to the bar inside the next car. He carefully secured himself, as he moved between the two cars, and walked into the bar room.
He walked by the other patrons, some eyeing him wearily, especially many of the women and one or two men, as he sat down in front of the bar, his Stand placing it's wide, pad-like hands down in front of it, as though ready to sprint at anything that his master might command. He readjusted his suit, before looking up at the male bartender, a thick set man with a scruffy beard and slight bags under the eyes.
"What can I do ya for, sir?" The Bartender asked, setting both hands on the table.
"Your wine selection, do you have the Sunset Blush?" Crimson asked, resting his chin on his hand.
"That I do." The Bartender said with an affirming nod.
"Then I would like a glass." Crimson suggested, pulling out a twenty. "Keep the change."
The bartender got to work, as Crimson activated his Stand, the Stand glowing with ethereal green smoke and energy, as he looked around, focusing on one man, and a woman at opposite ends of the bar that had caught his interest, as everyone else stood up, and stoically left, without saying a word to each other or anyone else.
As the last person filed out, the bartender stood up with his glass of sunset blush, and blinked as he looked around the room.
"Where did everyone go to now?" He asked, incredulous.
"What do you mean?" Crimson asked, as the woman sauntered over by his side, her red dress flowing sensually about her.
"Ah, well, at least I got some company left, eh?" The Bartender said with a shrug.
"That's all any of us can hope for." Crimson said, as he sipped his drink.
The group lounged about, some napping on the seats, others reading or counting the trees and other objects on the way. Sunset was thankful for the quiet, It had been a long time since all this insanity started that she had time to just sit back and think over everything. It was hard to believe that an invisible assassin had started all this off, and now, she was getting ready to face a figure who commanded all these Stand users, a man whose every move was inscrutable.
'But who can it be. I think that identity has to be the key to beating him.' She thought as she watched the sunlight dance along the hills and trees. 'But who could this be?'
Her thoughts into the matter where interrupted by a knocking at the door, causing her and a number of the girls to jump slightly, before Rainbow Dash sat down her book and moved towards the door. Sunset shot up and practically ran at her, before grabbing her by the shoulder and stopping her. Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, before Sunset held a finger up to her lips to silence her, as she activated her Stand.
Sunset altered her vision, as she cracked open the door, and saw a train stewardess standing there waiting for her, unusually still and controlled.
Sunset raised an eyebrow, but kept her voice level. "Yes?"
"We have received noise complaints regarding a person named Rainbow Dash." The steward replied coldly, her eyes unblinking, expression un-moving.
"Can we speak to her about this ourselves, and accept the warning?" Sunset asked. "I don't see why this needs to escalate or anything."
"No, we must see her." The attendant insisted.
Sunset activated Ice Phoenix, the Stand appeared beside her, and touching a hand to the side of her face. The area in front of her swam slightly, then glowed, before changing to an infrared style of vision, as she looked out at the walls, and saw something that shocked her. Nearly half a dozen or more train goers, all of them standing rail-stiff and at attention, waiting by the stewardess as if they needed orders.
Sunset looked at Rainbow and mouthed. "Tell the others to get ready."
Rainbow nodded and quickly ran off, as Sunset looked back at the Stewardess. "Can we come with Rainbow? I don't like leaving her alone."
"She will come out right now, no one else." The Stewardess replied coldly, her face unmoving.
"I think you and your group need to leave." Sunset shot back, pointing at her from the door crack. "I don't like seeing a half dozen or so people crowded around, ready to fight."
"Unfortunate." The stewardess replied simply, not moving a muscle as Sunset slammed the door shut and locked it.
She activated her Stand once more, restoring her vision to normal, and then grabbing a stool with Ice Phoenix, and lodging against the door knob, as she turned to the rest of the team.
"I know for certain this a Stand user at work." Sunset said, as they gathered around at the center, Stands out and ready. "They're acting strange, and targeting Rainbow. Her stand is extremely situational. This makes her the most vulnerable onboard a train."
"I ain't vulnerable at all!" Rainbow protested. "Let go out there and show em!"
"There's like A dozen of them." Sunset muttered back, shaking her head.
"Oh." Rainbow said quietly.
"Anyway, we know where they'll be coming from so we can..." Sunset began, before she heard something from the top of the train roof above them. "How the heck did they get on top?!"
Crimson calmly sipped his wine, one arm wrapped around the shoulder of a man seated next to him, as he looked over at the computer the women had brought to him. It was no hard task to alter their minds to get him a computer, and for him to hack the network, but his two interests were becoming a bit of a distraction.
"You both have caught my interest." He remarked, giving both an aside glance. "But this is getting out of hand. Go deal with Sunset."
The two stiffly stood up and marched off towards their car, as he analyzed the security footage. "So, they've boarded the doors?"
He snapped his finger, as Iron Sabbath stood on the table looking over the computer with it's master. "Iron Sabbath, send some of these servants onto the roof, let's open this up, like a can of tuna."
He clicked his polished shoes together, as he finished his wine glass, and placed it gently at the bar in front of her. The bartender took it away, and began preparing another glass for him, as he sighed to himself. "Do they have to make this so difficult?"
The group looked up, as a panel was thrown open from the outside, and a group of people began to drop down on them. The three men dropped down, focused on Rainbow, and charged at her. Sunset and Twilight did not waste a moment, their stands charging forward, and began swinging, taking all three down in no time, before they heard a click of the doors being opened. Sunset and the rest looked to see one of the figures opening the door, and allowing the rest of the train patrons to pour into attack them.
Pinkie's eyes bulged in shock as she saw them streaming in. "Sunset, how are we gonna fight this many people at once?"
"We can't risk hurting innocent people in this whole mess." Rarity remarked, as she erected a magic shield between themselves and the passengers.
Sunset gestured with her chin towards the ceiling. "They already opened our way out."
"How do we get there?" Rarity asked.
Deep Purple stepped towards it. "I'll carry you all up, I got extended range."
"I'll use Ice Phoenix to cover you all." Sunset said, turning on her heel, as her Stand manifested beside her, a gold glow burning across her body.
Deep Purple leapt up, scrambling up to the top of the train, and looked around, it's grey eyes narrowed as it scanned the area, looking for any sign of other hypnotized patrons, and, after seeing none, lowered itself down, and grabbed Rainbow Dash, pulling her up. After setting her down, Deep Purple lowered itself down again, to pick up the rest of the team, as Sunset used her Stand to hold off all the dozens of the Stand-controlled people.
Finally, after Deep Purple had brought up it's master, Twilight turned to Sunset. "Time to move."
"Gotcha." She yelled, swipping the feet out from under an attacking patron, before jumping forward and grabbing Deep Purple's arm, and getting pulled onto the roof of the train.
Crimson watched the security footage with interest, cocking an eyebrow up, as he looked down at his third drink, balancing it within two fingers and his thumb, clicking his tongue slightly.
"What the heck is this then?" He muttered to himself, as he sipped his drink. "The roof of a train. Risky and crazy, but quite an intelligent direction to take."
He sipped his drink quietly, narrowing his eyes. "Hmm. I will have to think more about this carefully. My little Soviet style of combat does little good for any of my plans."
He finished off his drink, as he crossed one leg over the other, clicking his tongue some more, before setting the drink on the counter. "That's the last one. Now, sending some hypnotized minions risks them and might not work. I'll give them a piece of bait they won't be able to resist."
He pulled out a large amount of cash, counting out 200, and setting it on the counter, as he stood and walked away, folding up his computer and walking toward the exits. He stepped out in the area between cars, and opened the door to the next car, stepping through the void, as a man reading a newspaper looked up in irritation.
"What the heck is going on?" He snarled in irritation. "Are you another wacko running about, doing god knows what?!"
"That's rather rude." Crimson replied, as his Stand appeared beside him.
"Not as rude as interrupting my paper!" The Man shouted again.
"Then deliver my news to the group above." Crimson ordered, his Stand reaching forward and pressing two fingers to his target's temple. "Tell them where to find me, and my challenge to them."
"What...ugh!" The man grunted, before keeling over, then standing up again, and obediently leaving without another word.
Crimson watched him leave, shaking his head slightly. "Such rudeness. We should be far kinder in our travels."
The Seven Stand users either crouched low, or hugged the train itself as it zoomed forward, air shooting through them and sending their hair into a chaotic mess. Rarity's eyes were wide, as he fingers dug into the metallic roof of the train, grinding her teeth together, looking like a terrified cat trying to cling to a coffee table.
"I would rather deal with the tender mercies of those brutes down there." Rarity cried over the gale.
"Sunset, what are we gonna do from here?" Twilight shouted, shutting one eye as the winds repeatedly hit her.
"Just relax, I got this." She insisted. "We get to the bike stored in the very back of the last train car. Once Rainbow gets one, we confront the main Stand user controlling these people."
"Wait, Master and Peons." Deep Purple said, holding up a hand to stop them all. "I see an image of a man coming towards us."
The seven turned to see a man marching across the train cars, seemingly unconcerned with train's speed, or the winds rebuffing, as he calmly walked forward, before stopping a few feet away from, affixing them with a deadened, blank expression, before speaking over the winds.
"I am delivering a message for the main Stand user controlling me and the others." He reported coldly. "Will you please listen?"
"Not much choice" Sunset muttered.
"He knows where the bike Rainbow Dash, and other patrons onboard, is being stored." He replied. "He, however, wants to challenge you. You can either go after the bike, and allow him to escape, but retrieve it, or confront him and defeat him, and break this spell."
"So, either we go after him, or get Rainbow's Stand." Sunset said, scratching her chin.
"Ha! As if!" Rainbow said, pointing to herself with her thumb. "I got this."
"What do you plan to do?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'll sneak in myself and get the bike all by myself, and chase down his train car." She said.
"You should reconsider." The Man said, gesturing behind him. "My controller has a very versatile stand. You will need all hands on deck."
"Six shouldn't be that big a difference." Sunset said, cocking an eyebrow. "I think he's using you to bluff us."
"Rainbow, without a Stand I don't think you could handle so many on your own." Twilight cautioned.
"You want me to back her up?" Applejack offered, indicating her boots. "Kick some sense into some of these rascals?"
"No, I'll do this faster on my mind." Rainbow said confidently. "If you guys give me the chance, I won't disappoint you."
Sunset thought for a moment, before nodding to Rainbow. "Do what you gotta do. we'll get to this guy and break his face, and warm him up for you."
The Man nodded slightly. "Crimson Vision is waiting for you in the bar area. Do you what you have to make it there to him."
"What a lazy lush." Rarity muttered to herself as the man walked off back to where he had come from, as Sunset gathered the group around herself.
Rainbow didn't waste a moment, running off and heading for the very last train cars, as Sunset began laying out her plan. "Alright, we have no clue what he can do. So no point in waiting for him. The moment you see this guy, don't hesitant to attack him. The sooner we can wear him down, the sooner we can end this whole fight."
"How will we tell him apart." Rarity asked.
"He'll probably be completely normal. The others will look like basic zombies." Sunset replied. "Let's jump to the next train car over, and I'll punch our way through."
Crimson sat patiently at his seat, tapping his fingers away, as he listened to the full report his mind-controlled servant gave him, before dismissing him to guard duty with a mere gesture and mental command.
"So, they're trying to go for both objectives, and divide my attentions." Crimson remarked, rubbing the side of his face in contemplation. "We are going to need to think this out carefully now, won't we."
He pulled up the map of the entire train and it's various cars, looking over the blue prints. "Hmm, a bullet train like this is fast, but it will still take a few hours for them to reach our master. That gives me enough time to allocate some meat near her bike, as well as enough to throw at the rest of Sunset Scout Group."
He stood up, tracing a pencil delicately across the screen, as he thought things out. "I will need enough to hold off both groups, in case Iron Sabbath can't defeat them all. I will have to wear them down enough to buy time for my escape, and to contact Maniac Craze again and prepare for our next move."
He put his pencil away and clenched his fist as a thin smile crossed his hawkish face. "I can work this! I have the most developed Stand of the teams! This is my moment!"
He stepped away and leaned against a wall, looking out across the train car from the shadows, almost invisible to any outside observers, as Iron Sabbath stepped up beside him, hands on it's hips as it looked over it's shoulder. Now, all he had to do was wait.
The group dropped down from the ceiling, the car surprisingly devoid of anyone onboard, as the group looked around. Sunset cleared her throat to speak, as she rubbed her ears, a ring still echoing in them from the high speed winds up top. She looked around for a moment, before speaking.
"Alright, so how are we gonna get to the bar area?" She asked. "Should we all go and rush the area together?"
"Hold it, I got an idea." Twilight said, holding her hand up. "I'll take half, and we'll cover one door, while you and another half cover the other, and pincer him from both sides."
"That sounds marvelous." Rarity said. "I'll go with Twilight."
"So will I." Applejack replied.
"Alright, awesome." Sunset said, circling her fingers around. "We can go back up top and make our way to the other side of the bar."
"Don't worry about it." Twilight offered. "You go on foot, we'll go over the top."
"Greato. I didn't much care for stomping up there anymore anyway." Sunset said, giving her a thumbs up. "Let's get moving."
The group split up, Twilight and her group jumping up to the top, and scrambling across the train roof, as Sunset and her group began moving between the train cars, heading towards the cars closer to the front.
Crimson sat in silence within the shadows for a moment, before hearing something across the roof. Foot steps. Several. He at first thought he was mishearing things, before he began to hear multiple steps against the metallic surface. He raised an eyebrow, scratching his chin.
"What are they planning?" He wondered aloud. "Why would they...?"
Before he could finish thought, he silenced himself and pressed against the wall, as Sunset, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie marched across the corridor, making their way towards the bar area in the next car ahead. His eye widened slightly, before they cam to a stop a few yards ahead of him, and began talking.
"I'm texting Twilight." Sunset remarked. "When she lands and gets ready to ambush from her side, she'll shoot me a message."
"Alright, I want to get in there and get blasting!" Pinkie said excitedly, a happy smile across her face, before her expression soured.
"Something wrong, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.
"I just got that feeling. The one on my tongue that tells me someone is hiding nearby." Pinkie explained, sticking her tongue out. "I wonder why?"
"It's probably nothing." Sunset said reassuringly, before turning to Fluttershy. "Are you picking up any life signs or energies?"
Crimson's eyes widened slightly, as he activated his Stand. A brief electrical pulse went through his body, and outwards from him for a few meters, barely noticeable. Fluttershy seemed to stiffen slightly as the pulse went through the train, quickly dying off and fading, but doing it job, as she looked around, not noticing anything, before turning to Sunset.
"There's no one but us here." She said, taking another look around the place. "Though everything feels off."
"Don't worry about it." Sunset replied with a shrug. "We're all just a little on edge from the Stand user. We'll get to him eventually."
Crimson's eyes widened slightly as he silently groaned to himself. They weren't going to leave? What a punishment for whatever he had caused for his sins. He wondered how long this would take for them to leave and let him spring his trap. He just had to wait and not make a sound or any sudden movements.
Rainbow Dash sulked around a corner of the last of the cars, looking over the various containers, parcels and other large objects the normal train storage spaces couldn't hold, including multiple bikes. The problem, however, soon revealed itself, when she saw about 5 or 6 figures standing around the last bike rake, all the way in the back, her own bike. She looked around, the five encircling the area around the bike, standing at attention and gazing off towards the distance.
She wondered, for a moment, what they were exactly staring or looking off at, but mentally set it aside, as she silently picked her way towards the bike rakes. The guards didn't seem to notice her, as she focused on them. They didn't seem to have any stand abilities or the like, so they most likely were just random train riders who got caught up in this new attacker's Stand ability. She glared out at them from her hiding spot, planning out her attack and how to quickly take them out. Three of them had their back's to the very back wall of the train, near the door leading to the outside back of the train, while the other three were facing north, east and west, their backs to the rakes, and alert as ever.
She was about to step back slightly, when her shoe accidently kicked a tin can, sending it clattering behind her. Her face looked down at the ground in anger, before shooting up to see three of the Stand-controlled people immediately heading off to investigate the noise. She groaned slightly, as she set into a run, heading back towards the front to try and re-plan her attack, before she looked over her shoulder to see the three running around the corner, spotting her, and setting into a run after her.
She skidded to a halt, and turned, taking a combat stance, as they all stopped within a few feet of her, and took combat stances of their own, fists and hands raised and ready to fight. Rainbow looked around at the three. All of them were males, physically healthy and athletically built. She tried to see if any of them had a stagger, a weak point, or anything she could use to counter or take advantage of before the fight.
The middle one, the tallest, red haired, down in spikes, with deep brown eyes, swung his fist at Rainbow's face. Rainbow immediately raised her arm, blocking the attack, and moving her other hand to counter, the second, a guy with shaggy blond hair and dressed in a track suit, lashed out, kicking her in the ribs, and sending her to the floor. His red-haired peer moved to kick her while she was done, but Rainbow twisted about, lashing out at his knee and hip with both legs, and sending him end over end. The third, a darker skinned man, moved forward, raising his foot up to stomp on her head, before she rolled away, and popped back to her feet.
Dark-Skinned and Blond-Hair moved quickly towards her, raising their fists to attack her. The first swung at her ribs, before she dropped her elbow, blocking his attack, before he swung his other fist at her face. She ducked under, and punched at Blond-Hair's stomach, knocking him back a bit, before hearing the first charge at her from behind. Rainbow swung her right elbow backwards, knocking him in the nose, blood exploding outwards, as he kept moving on her.
The grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her up off her feet, before readjusting and wrapping his arms around her shoulders, leaving her open to attack, as the other two got up and approached, fists clenched and ready.
Twilight and the rest of the group stood over the train car next to the onboard Bar. She activated Deep Purple, as the stand pried open the hatch ontop, and swung it open, as she dropped down, followed by the others. Twilight held up her phone from her pocket, before Deep Purple, came to her side, and poked it's finger into the center of the screen, the phone flashing for a few moments, before the message was sent.
Twilight turned to the rest. "Now we wait for her to get back."
Sunset waited, and heard a ring tone and a buzz in her pocket, as she reached in, grabbed it, and taped the message open. She looked down lazily, expecting just a simple little message from Twilight, before her eyes bugged up in shock.
"S'up, dumbass? I'm ready when you are, so let's get in there and bust some skulls, ya bacon-haired Flash-Light. Signed, love, Twilight."
Sunset blinked several times, before typing out a reply very quickly.
"Was that Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah, I think so." Sunset muttered, slightly confused. "I think nerves might be getting to her. Or she let her Stand loose."
Meanwhile, Twilight waited, before receiving the message back. She opened it, and read it.
"Alright, that sounds...good. R U alrite? Your Msg was a lil hostile."
Twilight raised an eyebrow, before scrolling back up and reading what Deep Purple had sent, her face shot up, as she glared at her Stand.
"Can you not insult my friends for two seconds?!" She demanded.
Her Stand merely shrugged, as she motioned for Applejack and Rarity to follow her.
"We're going in now."
She marched up to the door, Deep Purple lashing out with it's leg and smashing the door to splinters, as the three rushed in. At the same time, Sunset and Ice Phoenix punched through the door, caving it in and coming in as well. Numerous hypnotized patrons stood ready, and rushed the two groups, made up of various groups, from men, to women, to several teens, as two groups fought towards the center, fists flying, crystals shooting out, as they slowly but surely flattened everyone in their way, finally stopping as the two meet in the middle, breathing hard.
"That was easy." Sunset said with a heavy breath. "Was the Stand user here?"
"If he was, the people would've stopped immediately once you knocked him out." A voice called from behind Sunset and her group. "So, you have not won, not at all."
Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Sunset turned, to see a well dressed man, a small Stand floating beside him, it's long arms held out in front of it like a puppet on strings.
"I am Crimson. You have all fallen into my trap." He declared, striding out of the door way. "Now, prepare for the end."
Sunset jumped past her friends, and sent Ice Phoenix forward, lashing out with it's fists into his body, burring punch after punch into his chest and stomach, as he groaned from the pain, before his Stand flashed upwards, striking Ice Phoenix across the chest with a punch, before reaching both hands back and snapping forward, ready to grab her. One hand struck Ice Phoenix's hip, as the other reached towards her face. Sunset's eyes widened, before Ice Phoenix's hands shot up, grabbing the stand's other wrist, and holding it back.
Ice Phoenix applied pressure, slowing crushing the Stand's other wrist, as Crimson groaned in pain, but said nothing, the cracking and crumbling sound of a Stand breaking apart resounding through the almost totally silent cabin. His Stand released Ice Phoenix, before striking the Stand in the ribs, once, twice, then a third time, as the Stand's armored body began to crack. Ice Phoenix released the Stand, and backed away towards it's master again.
"You have an usually strong stand." Sunset said, as Rarity's Blue Ruby began to gather energy within it's hands, Sunset keeping her focus on Crimson to keep him from seeing her coming.
"I am quite proud of him. You're Stand is strong as well." Crimson said coldly, as he tested and readjusted his right wrist. "Now, I'm not finished with you."
"But we are with you." Sunset said, leaning sharply to the Left as Rarity fired off several gemstone bullets at Crimson.
He widened his eyes slightly, but said nothing, simply flicking his wrist back, as his Stand rushed forward, crossing it's arms and catching the three stones in it's long, gangly arms. Although they penetrated deep, Crimson showed no discomfort, merely having his Stand flick it's wrists, and have the Crystals go flying back to their source. Deep Purple and Ice Phoenix jumped up, firing off a rush of punches, rapidly striking the crystal down, until all that remained was fine particles, that blew away.
Pinkie Pie's eyes widened, as she watched the display, bracing herself and Fun alongside Sunset, as the group scattered behind the two, to avoid the attack. She wondered if there was a way to actually beat this Stand user, with his mind control powers and close combat abilities.
"A bold move, but a futile one." Crimson exclaimed, giving a small, victorious smile. "It's easy to get a guess for what you plan to do next."
He ran forward, His stand slashing at Sunset, cutting through the air, as Ice Phoenix braced in front of it's master for the blows, before he suddenly turned on his heels, and grabbed Pinkie by the neck. Her eyes widened, as the Stand applied slight pressure for only a few seconds, before releasing her and backing away from an attacking Twilight and Deep Purple. Pinkie took aim, and fired, several roiling blasts of energy burning through the air, and heading straight for Crimson's body, who flashed an arrogant smile at Pinkie.
Before all three blasts narrowly missed him, striking the floor around him, or the wall behind him. Pinkie's eyes bulged, as she took aim with Fun again, and fired off another salvo at him. Again, no matter how many shots she fired, everyone of them missed, as the rest of the group turned to look at Pinkie in surprise.
"Pinkie, are you messin' with him or something?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I aimed right at him. Crosshairs and everything line up! He should be a bright, colorful pile of ash!" She claimed, panicking.
"For one second, for just a second, you felt doubt in your ability to hit him." He explained, readjusting his suit. "I used my Stand to lock in that emotion, that feeling in your heart, and keep you from ever striking me."
"If you can control a whole train, and lock in certain emotions, why not just turn us into puppets?" Sunset asked, as she circled around him, like a wolf judging a very challenging prey item.
"Normal people are one thing, but Stand users are resistant to my powers." He explained. "I would have to concentrate all of my effort to control all of you. That's why my goal isn't to defeat you, but to tire you out. That should make it easier."
Sunset's eye darted to Applejack for a fraction of a split second, as she smirked slightly, before refocusing on Crimson. Without warning, Applejack lashed out with her foot, smashing the top of a nearby table off it's stand, sending the massive circle flying towards at him, like a buzz saw. As it flew by, Fun leveled it's canon, and waited before firing a small burst of energy from it's arm canon, lighting it on fire, as it continued on it's path. Crimson's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, as he jumped out of the way of the flaming table, and it smashed and imbedded itself into the wall.
He turned around, to look at the table, before Sunset jumped at him, swinging a punch from her Stand into his face.
"SUZAKU!" Her Stand shouted, as he staggered backwards, yelling in pain.
Rarity jumped up, her Stand manifested behind her, and slamming it's hands together, firing a blast of Crystal Bullets at him. Crimson quickly activated Iron Sabbath, having it rip part of the table out of the wall, and bring it up. Although one burrowed into his thigh, Crimson did not stagger or falter, his Stand holding the table in front of itself and it's user, and keeping all the crystals away and from hitting him.
Rainbow Dash gasped in agony, as another fist sunk into her stomach, breathing hard, as she feebly struggled to escape the grip of her captor. The other two were taking turns beating her down, evidenced by her bruised face and body, as she glared at them, breathing hard. Hypnotized or not, she was gonna enjoy beating them down for this. She struggled feebly against the hold of the first cohort, unable to break his iron grip, as another approached, pulling back his fist. She smiled silently as he readied the punch. If she timed this just right, should deal with her problem easily.
As the man neared, Rainbow threw her head back, smashing into the First Guy's nose with the back of her skull, a wet, sharp crack sounding across the train, as the man staggered slightly. The Puncher was already in motion, as Rainbow twisted herself around, throwing her hips into it as she twisted around and threw the First Man between herself and the punch, a sharp crack sounding as the guy took the punch to the back, as Rainbow swung her leg downwards, smashing his right foot, and, as his grip slackened, she broke free, and slammed her elbow into the side of his face, knocking him into the puncher.
The last one stood, slightly gob-smacked, as Rainbow turned and took up a fighting stance, a confident smile spreading across her face. She wasn't sure how much a hypnotized grunt could register, but she was certain she saw a brief moment of doubt cross his face, before he made the first move and began to approach. The Man charged forward, swinging at her face, as Rainbow ducked under, striking him in the stomach, before hitting in the back with an elbow strike, knocking him forwards slightly.
The man staggered forwards, before turning, his eyes hardly showing any emotion or pain, as Rainbow kept her guard up. She kept her smile wide, and legs bent low, ready to strike at him, when the door to the last car swung open, a large man in boots entering, as he surveyed the room. The remaining Hypnotized minions looked to him, before marching out single file, filing past him as he looked out at Rainbow Dash. He was powerfully built, but rather short. The man had a buzz cut and sunglasses on, and a tank top over his bulging body and frame.
"You ready to go, Rainbow?" The Man declared, pointing at her.
"You another mook of his?" Rainbow asked, taken a back slightly by his attitude and actions.
"He hired me to take care of the bikes, and you." He said confidently.
"You have a Stand or something?" She asked.
"No." He replied confidently, bearing a toothy grin, two of his teeth flashing silver in the light.
He walked forward, pointing at Rainbow Dash. "Get ready to fight, cause I'm not showing mercy to anyone who gets in my way!"
Rainbow Dash strode forward, a determined glare across her face as she prepared to face the man down. It was now all or nothing. She had to win this for her friends.