“Just hold still…” Gipsy kept one arm on Cajole as he sat on a bed. His and Sweetie Belle’s entire bodies had blackened, burned in Apocalyptica’s shadow realm. They stung, especially when in contact with the air, which was all the time, but at least Gipsy Dance had remedies for burns, though they stung too.
“It wasn’t a pleasant experience, I’ll give you that.” Sweetie Belle lay on another bed, wrapped up in bandages with ointments and leaves sticking out underneath. “It was so dark and so cold, but at the same time, you’re burning. And you can’t see anything and there are noises all around you, echoes from another world…”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Summer gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ve got Bushido Spirit to thank for that. He took out the enemy in one synchronized move. It was almost like watching a bird grab its prey.”
Sweetie looked between the two of them and smiled. “I’m sure it was.”
“I’m poofed!” Prism tossed herself on another bed and put her hands behind her head. “Glad we’ve got beds tonight! Berlin hotels rock!”
“At least take your shoes off before getting on the bed.” Fuchsia gave her a disgusted look.
“What’s wrong?” Prism tilted her head up. “I do this at home too. I’ve never had any problems.”
The goth girl shook her head. “Fusch this. It’s your bed. You do what you want. Couldn’t I have had my own room? I hate sharing rooms.”
“Is there anything you don’t hate?” Prism asked.
“The dark and cold embrace of death and nothingness. And skeletons,” Fuchsia replied.
“Yeah, sorry we have to share rooms, Fuchsia.” Sweetie Belle tilted her head to see her. “They only had two rooms available, and I thought the boys should get their own.”
“Pretty sure Jojo wouldn’t mind bunking over with me. Wouldn’t you, Jojo?” Prism flashed him a cheeky grin.
“I’ve uh… homework.” He took interest in the ceiling and scratched his cheek. “Ouch!”
“The less you squirm, the faster this will be.” Gipsy rubbed more ointment on his arm. “Anyway, the rest of you should get some sleep. We only have four more hours before daylight.”
Summer groaned and leaned on her side after kicking off her boots. She tried to stay positive and looked at it from the other side. At least she would have four hours of sleep on a comfy bed away from the cold.
As she closed her eyes, she thought about their parents. It had been a while since they’d called each other and she was wondering how her mother was doing. Her mother had Alicorn Fantasy with her at least, but if she was caught off guard again like when Timber Spruce attacked them, there was nothing even her powerful Stand could do. But again, like with the bed, she chose to look at the sunny side of life. Her mother was strong. She would be able to look after herself, probably even better than she was doing. And she trusted her mother’s teammates. They’ve been through a lot together. If it was anyone she knew her mother would be safe with, it was with the parents of her friends.
It was only a matter of time now. Tomorrow, they would set out to Leipzig and if that pickup truck was still there by morning, they would already have their transport down. Once in Leipzig, they would be closer than ever to getting to Mount Fegel to stop Weather Alternate. And after that, they could all go home and she would see her mother again.
Summer held on to that thought and resolve as she dived off to sleep.
-------JO-JO-------
The pickup truck, in fact, was still in the parking lot after they left the hotel the next morning. The gang quickly got in before Sweetie Belle got it to work and they were off, heading down the streets of Berlin towards its outskirts. The drive would only take about two hours and they would be in Leipzig before lunch.
Just thinking about food made Prism Dash’s stomach growl and she grabbed her gut as she grinded her teeth against each other, wishing there was a piece of bacon between them. They had left the hotel at about six in the morning and that hadn’t left them any room for breakfast and they didn’t exactly have dinner either.
“Sweetie, do you have any meat in there?” Prism rubbed her belly.
“‘course I do.” She grinned and her Stand appeared in Prism’s lap. “Help yourself. Front compartment. That’s where I keep all the food.”
“Sweet, bacon!” Prism pulled out a few strips and shoved them in her mouth. “You’re my bescht friend, Schweetie!”
“Hey, I thought I was your best friend?” Summer folded her arms. She was seated across from Prism in the back, her hair whipping across her face from the wind.
“This is different.” Prism chewed on her food, then dug around REO Speedwagon and took out a crab roll. “Here, Sushi. No hard feelings.”
“Little heavy for breakfast. But alright, I accept your offer.” Summer chuckled and took the roll.
“Sappy…” Fuchsia groaned and leaned an arm on the truck’s side as she gazed at the passing buildings.
Jojo sat across from her, holding on to his backpack as his scarf fluttered in the wind. He kept his eyes on Bushido’s blade. Seated beside him, the easterner was busy cleaning his weapon with a cloth and Jojo was afraid if the car were to jerk, the sword could go right through him if Bushido wasn’t careful.
“It’s not going to stab you,” Bushido suddenly said as though reading his mind. He didn’t even look up at Jojo. “You’re going to ask how I knew that.”
“How did you know that?” Then Jojo realized what had happened. “You just pulled the oldest Jojo trick in the book!”
“I can feel your gaze on my blade,” Bushido said, continuing to clean his weapon. “That and your slowed breathing. You’re wary of it. That it could stab you if I lose my balance. Trust me, I will not.”
“I don’t know…” Jojo held his bag tighter. “The road’s getting bumpy.”
“Here…” Prism handed him a ham sandwich. “Have something to eat. You’ll feel better.”
Jojo slowly accepted the sandwich, then went back to looking at the katana as he chewed.
“So, your grandfather, Bushido, was he a defender of others too?” Summer decided to strike up some conversation. It would be good to get to know him more, seeing as he was their newest member.
“He was.” Bushido nodded. “He was the greatest defender of our family line. Throughout the nineteenth century, he protected Japan from corrupt rulers to defeating the Yakuza. Uh, Japanese Mafia.”
Prism had raised a hand, but then lowered it.
“He had no Stand of his own, but the achievements he had accomplished in his lifetime dwarf anything I’ve done. He was a true Hero of Justice. He would sometimes come home full of cuts or bruises, but he never once thought that it was time to give up, not until his cancer overtook him and he had to remain at home for the rest of his days. That was when I made my promise to him, to continue his work and to ensure others would not use their powers for evil.”
“Noble as always. Here, have a crab roll too.” Prism handed him food from REO Speedwagon. “No wonder Sushi finds you attractive.”
Summer almost choked on her meal. “W-Wait, what, I never- hey.”
Bushido looked out the back, but they could see his cheeks changing color as well.
Jojo looked between the two of them, then at Fuchsia. “What was that all about?”
“You don’t want to know.” She rolled her eyes and drew a finger across her neck. Then she accepted a string of candy from Prism. This time, she didn’t complain about it, but she didn’t say anything nice about it either. Fuchsia stuck it in her mouth and began chewing on it.
Gipsy Dance sat in front with Sweetie, her body still wrapped with bandages like Jojo’s. The healing ointments were already taking effect, but until then, she would have to stay like this and they would have to apply a new one when they got to Leipzig.
She tapped a finger on the door’s handle, following the rhythm of the bumps under their wheels as their pickup truck traveled, nearing a hundred and forty kilometers per minute. All she could think about now was eventually finding Eximus Exo, the man who destroyed her family. They were almost to Weather Alternate’s base of operations. The closer they got, the higher the chance of finding that murderer and avenging her people.
“This is kind of boring,” Prism said after a while. “Can you turn on the radio and put on some tunes or something?”
“Can you even hear the radio from back there? With the wind in your ears and all?” Sweetie Belle reached over for the radio, but instead of turning it to a music channel, she tuned in to the news.
“Is that the radio? Why are we listening to this borefest?” Prism complained.
Summer glanced at her friend. “It’s important to know the state of things in this country, in case it could affect our journey.”
“As you all know, the Nugget Run has pulled many flocking to Mount Fegel for a chance of all that gold,” a newscast said. Summer and Prism had to bring their heads closer to the back window to listen. “There have already been reports of fighting and authorities had to disengage some of them before they got violent. Everyone please remember that no one lays claim to any of the nuggets until they have acquired them by hand. It is fair game up there and as of now, there is enough for everyone. In fact, the deeper you go, the more nuggets there seem to be.
“A resource group, Winging Alternative has set up shelters at the bottom of the mountain for weary travelers and for them to get their gold in order before returning home. Aid has been coming to Mount Fegel from all across the world in the form of food stands, clothing, and even a setup for free warm showers. It seems this Nugget Run is very much bigger than we thought.”
“They have no idea.” Sweetie Belle clicked her tongue. “Did you catch all that?”
“Winging Alternative?” Prism scoffed and stuck her tongue out. “And they call me unoriginal.”
“But you’re the one who came up with Fun Day.” Summer poked her. “A day where we take a break from practice and have fun.”
“It’s still better than Winging Alternative. I mean, come on.” Prism raised a hand. “They’re not even trying. Anyone can tell they’re Weather Alternate.”
“That’s if anyone else even knows what Weather Alternate is,” Jojo said. “I’m thinking we’re in the ten percent of the world who know what Weather Alternate is.”
“Ten’s a bit generous!” Gipsy yelled to him from the front. “They’re a secretive bunch. If we count the people who actually know who and what Weather Alternate is, it’s probably less than a hundred thousand people, which isn’t even one percent.”
“I guess that’s fair.”
“Hey look.” Prism pointed to another red truck they were catching up to. There were a trio of people sitting in the back carrying pickaxes. “More prospector dudes. We must be getting close.”
“There’s still a way to go. Leipzig’s only just come in sight on the horizon.” Sweetie Belle looked back. “But the traffic seems to be picking up. They’re the closest city to Mount Fegel, after all. I won’t be surprised if we can’t find a hotel later.”
“Ugh, fusch this…” Fuchsia put her head between her legs. “No, I don’t know why it takes so long…”
“I didn’t say anything.” Prism eyed her with a raised brow.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Fuchsia said without looking up.
“Oh, right. You’re talking to that ‘Stand’ of yours…” Prism curled her index and middle fingers on both hands up and down. “I’ve seen Summer’s Stand now. I’ve seen Gipsy’s. I’ve seen Jojo’s. I’ve seen Bushido’s. I’ve seen Sweetie’s. I’ve seen all their Stands, except yours. Now I’m not so sure you actually have one.”
“I don’t have to prove-” Fuchsia was cut off by the truck screeching to a halt, almost throwing off everyone in the back. “Hey. What gives?” She asked the driver.
Sweetie Belle pointed ahead to the road. There was a man standing in the middle, staring into the distance. He had a pickaxe strapped to his leg and a long length of rope wrapped around his shoulders. “Someone’s blocking the way there.”
Sweetie Belle honked the horn. “Oi! Would you mind getting out of the way? We’re in a rush here!”
“What if he’s an enemy Stand master.” Jojo clenched a fist and Tenacious D appeared on the road beside their truck. “I’ll take him on.”
“Do nothing until they engage us.” Bushido held a hand out in front of him. “We do not yet know if he is a Stand master.”
“What else could he be?” Summer asked, getting ready to call forth Pegasus Forever.
“A drunk?” Gipsy suggested. “His movements are not regular. It’s almost like he’s… shambling.”
“You don’t think…” Prism gulped and her eyes widened as she turned to her friends. “This is Germany. You don’t think that’s a… Nazi zombie?”
“Nazi zombies aren’t real, Prism.” Summer gave her friend a knock on the head. “They never figured out how to reanimate the dead.”
“Then what’s the matter with this guy, then?” Prism demanded. “Hey! Get off the road!” She shouted. The man didn’t comply. “Ah, it’s no good. Sweetie Belle, just go around him.”
“I don’t want to accidentally knock him down if he moves.” The older woman didn’t step on the gas.
Before they could do anything else. The red truck they had driven past earlier overtook them now that they had stopped. They sneered at them as they drove past, heading straight for the dazed man ahead. When they got close enough, the man suddenly snapped into action and as they attempted to swerve around him, the man jumped at their truck and swung his pickaxe through the driver’s glass. It shattered in an instant and as the car moved, the man’s pickaxe hooked on to the side and he was dragged along the road as the truck picked up speed.
The red truck fishtailed and drove off the road, dragging the man along with it. Both of them slammed into a rock and the truck flipped over, rolling down the side of the hill and out of sight. A few seconds later there was an explosion in the distance and a plume of black smoke began rising into the air.
“What was that?!” Jojo stood up and tried to look down the hill. “That can’t be normal.”
“Something strange is going on here,” Summer agreed. “We’re getting closer to Mount Fegel; this might be the work of one of Weather Alternate’s Stand masters.”
“Of course it is…” Sweetie Belle placed an elbow on the door and rested her head against it. “Well, the road’s clear now. I think we should get to Leipzig as quickly as possible. Jojo, sit down.”
The boy complied and placed himself down as the pickup truck started again. “Hey, how far do you think-”
Summer looked at him and she was surprised to see he just had a blank look on his face. His mouth was still moving up and down, but nothing was coming out.
“Jojo? Hello?” She waved a hand in front of his face.
“Jojo… Hello…” he repeated. “Jojo. Jo. Jo. Jo.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Prism shook him by his shoulders. “Yo, Jojo. You sick or something?”
“It’s like he’s suddenly forgotten how to think,” Summer frowned. She snapped her fingers in front of Jojo’s face. “Jojo! Snap out of it.”
“Snap. Snip snap. Scissors.” Then Jojo suddenly scowled and his throat began to rumble.
Suddenly, he threw himself at Summer and summoned his Stand, which appeared over them. Tenacious D crashed down on top of the hood, denting it and shattering the glass on all the sides. Sweetie Belle swerved the car and stepped on the brakes, stopping the car as it grinded to another halt. The rest of the cars behind them had to stop, unable to get past now that they were horizontally across the road, unless they wanted to drive down the hill the truck had gone down.
“Jojo, stop!” Summer tried to push him off, but energy pulsed through his arm and he put it against her face.
“I’ve no choice. You leave me no choice, Jojo. Pegasus Forever!” Summer yelled as energy began going down his arm. Pegasus Forever appeared from her and pushed Jojo off, throwing him off the back of the car as it swung both arms to its sides with a roar.
“Scissors!” Jojo groaned, then flipped himself around as Tenacious D barreled into Pegasus Forever.
Bushido Spirit and Fuchsia had to hop out of the way as the two Stands smashed through the rear of their truck, knocking their truck up almost vertically for a second, throwing Prism and Summer off as well before it dropped back down, smashing and puncturing its tyres on impact.
“Fusch this…” Fuchsia rubbed her head. “Fusch. This. Fusch. Fusch.”
“Fuchsia’s gone nuts too!” Prism rubbed the side of her head. She had hit her cheek against the gravel and scraped her skin. “Something’s messing with their brains!”
“We need some brain protection.” Summer looked around wildly. She remembered her mother could use her own Stand to form a protective armor around herself, but she didn’t think Pegasus Forever could do that.
Summer’s eyes landed on the food that they had been eating earlier. Some of it had been wrapped in foil, and she quickly picked up the silvery sheets and folded them into a pair of hats. “Quick, put this on!”
“What? Have you lost your mind too?” Prism eyed the tin-foil hat in her hand.
“This enemy can affect our brain waves.” Summer went on to explain as she put the hat on her head. “I saw this in a movie once. Certain frequencies can affect the brain, sometimes harmless, sometimes lethal, like radio waves or microwaves. If you wear a tin-foil hat, you can keep your brain from being tampered with. Aluminum is a natural deterrent to such waves.”
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,” Prism said incredulously. “But fine. We’re wearing sandwich wrappers on our heads. What do we do about the others? Or the enemy Stand master for that matter?”
“The others…” Summer looked around for the rest of the group. Fuchsia was now walking away from their vehicle, swinging her arms in front of herself, smiling like a madman, a stark contrast from her usual look.
More people began leaving their cars and one of them suddenly swung a crowbar at Fuchsia, but it looked as though something left her fingers and then went back into her skin, pulsating under it as the crowbar smacked into her face. Fuchsia didn’t even flinch and instead, the crowbar shattered before she punched the man in the chest, sending him flying back into the front of another car, denting it.
“What was that…?” Summer looked on in confusion before returning her attention to her other friends.
Bushido had also been affected by the mind waves and already, he was drawing his sword from his side, which was going to be a deadly situation if they didn’t deal with that. Sweetie Belle and Gipsy were just slumped in the car, staring blankly out the damaged window. That was good, at least they weren’t going anywhere, at least not yet.
“Prism, we need to stop Bushido.” Summer stretched an arm out and Pegasus Forever delivered a wicked uppercut into Tenacious D’s jaw.
The Stand flew up into the air and before it could return to the ground, Pegasus grabbed it by one of its wheels and spun it through the air before throwing it into the car behind theirs. Jojo flew back and hit his head on the road and got knocked out.
“Well, good on you, you beat up the poor kid.” Prism ran to Jojo’s side and put a hand against his neck. “But what do you expect to do against Bushido? What do you expect me to do against Bushido? Hey, you know what, I think you should handle it. You’ve got a crush on him anyway.”
“N-No, I don’t…” Summer slightly covered Prism from her view. “Anyway, he’s gonna hurt people if we don’t stop him. You stay here with Jojo then.”
And with that, Summer left Prism and ran ahead into the crowd of brainless people.
“Man, Jojo, will you look at this?” Prism sat down beside him and gave his head a pat. “Everyone’s losing any sort of rational thinking here. This Stand master is able to manipulate brain waves and stop people from thinking. They begin acting on impulse and unfortunately, most of that means aggression, from what I’ve seen. The question is, which one of these people is the Stand master? Which one of them is from Weather Alternate?”
At first, she hadn’t picked up on it, but after watching the crowd of mindless people in silence for a while, a faint scraping sound began to make itself known. At first, she didn’t think much of it. Prism figured it was the sound of the road settling, or the sound of a car moving, but it sounded close. Too close.
Deciding to check it out, Prism turned her head, looking under their vehicle as a pinkish hand reached out from underneath. She got up and backed up as a woman with magenta hair crawled out, clad in a poncho much too big for her body, making her look like one of those boxy people from that boring game her brother enjoyed playing, Moblocks or something.
“I didn’t expect you to smash the car, but it was a good thing I managed to get through that unscathed…” She smirked almost devilishly as she got to her feet. “How does it feel? To know that everyone around you is a bumbling idiot incapable of rational thought?”
Prism tilted her head. “I guess it feels good, but who are you? Are you the Stand master?”
“I am more than that.” The woman twisted her arms together in front of her body and rested her chin on one palm as she crossed one leg in front of the other. “I am the one who’ll finally get my revenge today, once and for all, with the destruction of you and your group!”
“So another member of Weather Alternate, then!” Prism bunched up her fists and raised them.
“But not just any member.” She slid one arm down the side of her body, then flicked it back up into the air, stopping next to a wreath of flowers on top of her head. “I am Gloriosa Daisy! Sister to Timber Spruce! My brother went after you on his own when he found out it was you who killed his girlfriend and their beloved dog! And then you took my brother from me! But oh, your little Sushi group ends here. For the death of him, his girlfriend, their dog, his girlfriend’s brother, and his girlfriend’s brother’s wife, and for Weather Alternate, you’re all going to die here!”
A form shimmered beside Gloriosa, a being clad in red and pink and it raised a fist in front of its face before curling its fingers out like it was going to grab onto its face.
Prism put one foot back then pressed her teeth together. Summer was further away now, trying to get Bushido back and the others were all mindless, and she would’ve joined them if not for the foil hat on her head, which was miraculously working. But she couldn’t count on help right now. She was going to have to settle this herself.