//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Never Let Me Go // Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Fantasy Friendship // by Jojoleopard //------------------------------// Fluttershy had always been a quiet girl, and there was no moment she could recall where she had ever been an outspoken person, even when she was just with family. She never wanted to interact with others, but she was always willing to help out, usually from the shadows where no one would know it had been her. Florence had awakened to her one day while she had been in computer class, and at first, she had been spooked that there were wire-like tendrils coming out of her fingers, but once she learned just what it could do and that she was in control, her secret aid to others only got better, being able to solve people's mechanical problems from the shadows, especially since very few people seemed to be able to see Florence. Her brother, Zephyr Breeze had always encouraged her to open up to others, and it was because of him, she had decided to approach her very first friend in her first day as a freshman at Canterlot High School. That day, she had found a friend in Pinkie Pie, who was quite the opposite of her. But because of Pinkie, she soon learned how to interact with others and now here she was with a whole group of friends, including new friends like Jojo and Sushi. Cinch had taken control of her mind one day through the mind of her brother. She had only just gotten home when Zephyr had jumped her and knocked her out. By the time she came to, Superorganism had already taken control of her mind, but thanks to Jojo, she was free once again, but not wanting this to befall anyone else, she agreed to join him and protect the world from Cinch, and that was where they were now, fighting to end this reign of terror. “It’s not over yet!” Rainbow Dash got into a crouch and pointed a finger at the side of her head. Running on Ice slid over with icicle daggers in its hands, cutting up Superorganism’s legs. The Stand dropped to its arms, letting Sunset go, giving her enough time to dive forward and drag Pinkie aside before Cinch’s Stand shot out spikes from its shoulders and back, tearing a hole in the back of Sunset’s skirt and piercing Running on Ice through the right shoulder. “Aah!” Rainbow bent forward and held the back of her shoulder as a new wound opened up to match her Stand. Fluttershy stood by the drill, with Florence inside the engine in the back. Wires snaked out of the engine’s gaps, wrapping themselves around Superorganism and sending jolts of electricity into it. Cinch winced from the electricity passing through her, but then her Stand dissolved into a mass of particles and got around the wires, then reformed itself as it jumped for Fluttershy and landed a solid blow into her temple. The girl squeaked, then hit the ground hard as her Stand went back into her fingers, where she received one more kick in the gut from Cinch’s Stand, throwing her across the cave. With a battle cry, Jojo raced towards Superorganism atop his Stand and sent out White Buffalo’s horns to attack the enemy Stand. Cinch’s Stand grabbed the horns with its arms, but Jojo kept his Stand going, speeding closer as the horns bent back to allow him to close the distance. White Buffalo lifted its front wheel, then breathed fire over it as it slammed against Superorganism’s chest where it grinded against its chitinous armor. Jojo leapt off his Stand and flipped once in the air before dropping a kick down to the Stand’s shoulder. “Burning Flying Kick!” Energy rippled from his leg and began to crack Superorganism’s armor, but it simply dissolved into a cloud of particles and washed over both Jojo and White Buffalo and he immediately began screaming from pain. Cinch stood at the back of the cavern, laughing to herself. “Fools. You forget that Superorganism can break itself down and right now, each individual organism is eating away at your body, tearing you apart at a molecular level and all your feeble attacks can do nothing. This is my Stand’s power!” “It’s far from over!” Rainbow jumped on her back from above and tried to wrestle the geode from Cinch’s hands. “Running on Ice, protect Jojo!” Rainbow’s Stand slid over to Jojo’s position and breathed out a cloud of vapor. It glided over to Jojo as he was being attacked by Superorganism and the particles around him began to freeze and drop to the ground as the man dived back out of the enemy Stand and got back on his feet. “Hamon burst, Quick Fingers!” He leapt back in and jabbed his index and middle fingers of both hands into the frozen swarm. Energy passed from them into the Stand and the frozen swarm burst into shards of ice. “This has gone on long enough!” Cinch growled and grabbed Rainbow by the hair with an armored hand. She pried the girl off her back, then tossed her at Sunset, who caught her and fell back. Jojo and White Buffalo charged for her, but Superorganism reformed in front of her and opened a gaping maw on its chest. “Superorganism can do more than just break itself down and manipulate your body,” Cinch started as an orange glow began to build in her Stand’s chest. “As particles move around in its chest, they are able to build up heat and this heat can be released in a super concentrated form depending on the shape the particles take, more powerful than any fire your Stand can breathe. Go, Superorganism, Gravity Beam!” Her Stand threw its arms back and yelled as a precise but wide beam of fire shot out of its chest. White Buffalo conjured Faster than Fire, but its cloud of fire was instantly overpowered and Superorganism’s attack shot a hole through its engine before sending it flying back out the tunnel. Jojo felt a searing burn through his abdomen and he coughed up blood and dropped to his knees as he felt his insides being cooked. “No!” Sunset got up, but she too still wasn’t faring too well. She looked to her friends, incapacitated and badly injured, and perhaps it had been impossible all along. Even without the geode, Superorganism was too much of a fight for all of them. They could never beat Cinch, even from the beginning. Even after fighting their way here together, they could not defeat her. Her Stand was just too strong. “You’ve realized your folly now, Sushi?” Cinch brought the back of a hand up to her chin and cackled. “It’s over. Stay right there. Once I touch this Stand Geode to Superorganism, I will become the most powerful Stand user in the whole world! You already can’t defeat me. Imagine how powerful I will become once that happens!” Sunset pushed her boots against the cavern rock as Pegasus Fantasy appeared before her, raising its fists up in front of its snout. “I can’t. There’s no difference if I give up now. I have to try, for the sake of the world and for my friends…” Pegasus’ knuckles began to light up as the power of friendship powered it up, and Sunset was again filled with a renewal of strength and courage as she watched the lights flicker in its knuckles. With her friends down, they were counting on her to finish this, and she had to do everything in her power to stop Cinch from merging the Stand Geode with Superorganism. She would fight till her body could no longer move, and even if it meant dying, she had to do it to protect those she cared about. “Fantasy armor!” Sunset kicked off the ground and stretched her arms out as Pegasus Fantasy opened up and wrapped around her. Now in the armor, Sunset took a deep breath and reset her injuries. That instantly took off a chunk of her armor’s timer, leaving her with only thirty seconds now, but she had to make what time she had left count. Sunset spread her wings far and ran at the enemy Stand, which reached towards her with a punch. Sunset spun to her left and sliced her wings through its arm, breaking it into smaller particles as it dropped to the ground, slithering around as a black cloud of mites as Sunset punched forward as hard as she could. The sparkling on her knuckles gleamed in the shadows as her hand went right through the Stand’s midsection, where its huge mouth was. Using all her might, Sunset stepped down hard on one foot, then twisted her body to one side and threw her arm back, sending Superorganism flying against the drill, smashing against one of its treads before sliding along the cave floor, leaving behind a trail of particles. Cinch winced, but otherwise didn’t seem to hurt from what happened to her Stand. Particles formed around her chest and shoulders, forming Superorganism’s chitinous armor over her as she raised one arm to block Sunset. “Neigh!” Sunset rammed a hand against Cinch’s arm, the force of her blow cracking it and sending particles flying out. “Impossible!” Cinch threw herself back and then flipped away from Sunset as she swung another punch at her. “You’ll pay for that, Sushi.” Sunset was about to press her offense, but hands formed on the wings behind her and threw her back before darkness enveloped her, crawling all over her and eating away at her fantasy armor. “No, not yet!” Sunset squirmed under the mass of Superorganism’s particles. Pieces of her fantasy armor began to fall away, but Sunset quickly reset them as she gave her wings a huge flap. The gust sent the particles over her flying away around the arena, but with her resets, she only had ten seconds left now, and that wasn’t much time to even think of what to do next.” “Come on, Sushi. Try and attack me again.” Cinch beckoned with the hand that wasn’t holding the geode. “It’s pointless. Superorganism is made of multiple organisms, and all you’re doing is breaking it apart, only for it to form back again. You can’t stop me from transcending my Stand no matter how many times you punch it. Superorganism will continue to reform again and again and again, and like my legacy, it will endure forever, undying, undefeated, the perfect Stand.” Her Stand grunted, then turned around and began walking towards Cinch, who held out the geode towards it. Sunset couldn’t let it, and gathering wind behind her wings, Sunset propelled herself through the cavern with a loud boom and pressed both hands together as she flew, clenching them into fists. Superorganism twisted its upper body around to face her and grabbed both of Sunset’s fists with its own hands, but Sunset’s speed was still enough to push it back from its spot, surprising Cinch. Superorganism’s legs spread particles down to the ground and began to form hooks into the cracks of the floor, slowing Sunset’s advance. “Oh no you don’t!” Sunset grunted as she pried one hand from Cinch’s Stand. She still had seven seconds and she had to put them to good use. She began delivering punch after punch to Superorganism’s midsection, cracking its shell with her Stand’s tremendous strength. Unfortunately, her next punch hit thin air as its chest opened up, glowing brighter by the second. “Have some of this. At this close range, you’ll be sorry you crossed me, Sushi. Gravity beam!” Cinch cut a hand through the air in front of her and smiled maniacally. Sunset tried to get away from the coming attack, but Superorganism reversed her handhold and grabbed Sunset’s arm, then popped its chest forward as the orange glow within it began to get brighter and brighter. “No, it’s not over yet!” Sunset spun to one side, then thrust one fist forward into the arm that was holding her. With the power of friendship coursing through her fists, she shattered the arm’s armor in one hit and dashed to the side just as Superorganism released its gravity beam. Its beam of concentrated heat lanced through the air, twisting and bending it under its intense heat before boring a hole through the other side of the cave. Sunset used this chance to deliver a swift kick to its midsection, then with another spin, she unleashed an uppercut to the Stand’s chin, knocking it up into the air before pummeling it all over its body. “Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” She would’ve kept going, but her fantasy armor flickered once, then dissolved, out of time. Sunset wiggled in the air for a split second, and would’ve hit her head if Superorganism hadn’t caught her around the neck, holding her high as its body began to reform the damage it suffered across its body from her furious punches. “That was a good show, Sushi, I’ll give you that. You have tenacity.” Cinch lifted a finger and Superorganism lifted her higher, then opened its chest again as it prepared another gravity beam. “But your mistake was going after someone twice your ability. You would’ve made a good Shadowbolt. I’ll tell you what, Sushi. Join me. I can make your life worthwhile. You don’t need to be picking up scraps with Canterlot High. Come to Crystal Prep, and as a Shadowbolt, you’ll have everything you ever wanted, especially once I rule everything.” “I’ll… I’ll never… join you.” Sunset glared at the principal past her Stand. “I knew you weren’t going to do so.” Cinch toyed with the geode between her fingers. “You’re too stubborn to see the good I could do. No matter. Once Superorganism is done with you, you’ll be nothing but a thing of the past, Sushi. You thought you were swimming in a little pond, but this pond was much bigger than you can possibly imagine. And that is all you’ll ever know. Finish her, Superorganism.” Cinch’s Stand grinned and would’ve hit Sunset with its gravity beam if the drill hadn’t suddenly turned from its position against the wall, slamming into the Stand with enough force to knock it clear from its spot. Its grip on Sunset loosened, allowing the girl to summon her Stand and pull her back just as Superorganism let out its beam of concentrated heat, blasting a deep groove along the ceiling, which began to rain debris down around them. “What is the meaning of this?!” Cinch raised a hand over her head as one pebble bounced off her brow, knocking her glasses clear from her face. The sudden impact had caused her to let go of the geode, which skittered across the ground as more debris began to rain down from above. Superorganism got up and burst into a cluster of particles, before reforming itself next to its master, lifting its arms up to prevent more debris from hitting her. Looking at the drill, she could see Fluttershy sitting in the cabin, leaning against the left side as blood ran down her head. Florence had emerged from her fingers and was now merged into the mechanisms of the drill. “Get her!” Cinch pointed at Fluttershy with fire in her eyes. Parts of Superorganism broke off and began making their way towards Fluttershy while Sunset got back to her feet beside an injured Pinkie Pie. “I think she knocked one of my teeth out.” Pinkie felt around in her mouth, then spat out a mouthful of blood. “And we can’t stay here much longer. The whole place is gonna come crashing down on our heads!” “Pinkie, can you get everyone to safety?” Sunset asked as her friend began to shake stars off her head. Literally. She could actually see Pinkie plucking the spinning stars from above her head and tossing them aside. “But what about you and Fluttershy?” Pinkie gave her head a vigorous shake, then jumped to her feet. “I need to make sure Cinch doesn’t get the Stand Geode.” Sunset called forth her Stand. “We’ve got one shot at this. I need to take it.” “Like, literally too, right?” Pinkie snickered. “You need to take that geode. Now! Go!” “Where is it now?” Sunset looked around the cavern for the blue gem. Rocks still fell from the ceiling as the cave now began to rumble and tremble, but Sunset eventually caught the glint of something blue being hit by another piece of debris and hopped up into the air before bouncing around on the ground again. “You got this, Sushiii!” Pinkie had Golden Ticket grab Rainbow Dash as a door in the side of the cave flipped open, revealing a tunnel up. “Let’s end this and then get home and eat some sushi!” “You got it, Pinkie.” Sunset smiled, then pointed towards the skittering geode as more debris pelted against it and the cave floor. “Pegasus Fantasy, go get it!” Sunset’s Stand left her position as she ducked and weaved as more debris rained down towards her. As Pinkie skipped over to grab Jojo, Pegasus Fantasy reached one arm out to grab the geode, but just before it could, another boulder crashed into it and sent it sailing across the cavern, before another rock smacked into it mid-flight, bouncing it in another direction. Cinch saw her going for it and lifted one arm as the particles around it formed into a wide palm, acting like a shield as she ran across the area towards the glimmering geode, all the while, Superorganism continued to pry its way into the cabin where Fluttershy was. Fluttershy inched herself away from the door, weakened to the point of almost being unable to move, but with Florence, she was able to keep the door locked, but it wouldn’t be long before Superorganism would get to her. She looked down at Sunset, who was busily chasing after the geode alongside her Stand now as Cinch did the same. Perhaps she could buy her friend some time to get it. “Flor-Florence… We’ve got to help Su-Sushi…” Fluttershy winced as she tried to lean against the seat. Blood dripped from her nose from the strain, but she managed to get into a better position. With her Stand, Fluttershy got the drill moving again and she had it reverse back until its drill head was now pointed towards Cinch as she scrambled for the geode. “You won’t have it!” Cinch screamed as she swung her shield arm at Sunset. Sunset ducked under it, then Pegasus Fantasy flew forward with a punch, hitting the shield and sending Cinch falling back a few steps. Superorganism charged at her and grabbed Pegasus’ wings, but Sunset’s Stand managed to wrest itself from it, then spun downwards and kicked one hoof up at Superorganism’s chin. The Stand winced and Cinch grabbed for her chin as Superorganism flew up in the air, then disappeared in a cloud of particles and reformed beside Cinch. “Curse you, Sushi!” Cinch rubbed her jaw as her mouth began to bleed. She was about to advance again, but Fluttershy saw her chance and pressed down on the drill’s controls and pedal, sending the drill rolling forward. Steam and fire burst from its exhaust pipes as it went into overdrive thanks to Florence, speeding right for the principal and her Stand. Cinch saw her coming and threw herself back as Superorganism dissolved itself again, attaching itself to the front of the drill as its earlier splinter formed into an arm and smashed itself into the cabin’s door. The metal instantly bent in and broke off its hinges, sending shards of glass and metal showering into the cabin, where Fluttershy lifted her arms to protect herself. “Fluttershy!” Sunset called. “Sushi, the geode. You need to get the Stand Geode.” Fluttershy lifted her left hand where Florence was attached. Sunset could see electricity pumping through her Stand and into the drill’s controls. “I’ll buy you time. But you need to get it and go.” “What? No, I can’t!” Sunset wanted to rush in to get her friend, but Superorganism reformed itself between them, its face twisted into a scowl. “I’ve set the drill to blow. You need to go, Sushi… You have to… save the world.” Fluttershy smiled as the drill’s engine began to rumble and cough harder. “What? No!” Cinch pointed at the cabin. “Superorganism, stop her!” The particles around the cabin reached in and grabbed Fluttershy by the shirt and ripped her from the cabin, but the damage had already been done. The drill’s metal began to glow orange and more and more smoke continued to pour from its pipes. “Sushi… get the geode… go!” Fluttershy looked to her one more time before particles formed into spikes around her. “Fluttershy!” Sunset could only watch as Superorganism drove them through Fluttershy’s body. Sunset’s vision blurred and tears ran down her face, but with the drill getting closer and closer to its breaking point, she had no choice now. Fluttershy had made her choice to buy her time. She was only wasting her sacrifice if she continued to stand here. “I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger…” Sunset’s breath trembled, but she tossed her attention back to the geode and ran for it. Another rock bumped into it and sent it flying, but Sunset dove through the air and caught a piece of debris before it could hit her. With a throw, she sent it through the air, hitting the geode as it flew, sending it back against the cavern wall, where it bounced off with a sharp ping, straight towards her. She grabbed it and dropped into a roll before looking back one last time towards Fluttershy. “Given up, have you?” Cinch glared into Fluttershy’s eyes. “You should’ve never messed with me, girl. Maybe then, you would’ve lived.” Fluttershy coughed out blood at her. “I’m not… giving up. I’m just giving in. I’m doing this… for my friends. Something you’ll… never understand. You will never win…” She gave Sunset one last look of confidence, then breathed one last time as her eyes rolled back in her head. “This is for you too, Fluttershy…” Sunset clenched the geode tightly in her hand as she raced for the doorway Golden Ticket had left for her. By the time she closed the door behind her, the drill was already convulsing violently and by the time she began racing up the tunnel her friends had gone through, there was a deep rumbling as the explosion tore through the cavern she had just been in, breathing fire up the original tunnel, as the whole cave was consumed by the burning inferno. The blast had also blown more of the ceiling apart, sending it crumbling down and burying the cave, but boulders were thrown to the side as a mass of black began to make its way through the ruined cave. A ball of chitin melted around an angry Principal Cinch, one eye red and filled with blood as Superorganism began eating its way through the debris.  This was not over yet.