//------------------------------// // Chapter 20: Knocking on Leipzig's Door // Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Nugget Run Horizon // by Jojoleopard //------------------------------// It had been a long walk from the highway to Leipzig, and even though they had all sat in REO Speedwagon to get there, Summer Shine still felt as though they had run all the way from Berlin. She fell asleep partway, waking up to a night sky brimming with stars when they came out of the Stand. The air here smelt fresher, containing something minty and woody. Summer figured it must’ve been the mountain air flowing down from Mount Fegel. Even in the dark she could see it looming ahead of them, just past a row of taller buildings. “We should bunker down for the night. Get some rest before our big day tomorrow.” Gipsy Dance pointed a hand to their destination. “Tomorrow, we climb the mountain.” “What do you think we’ll encounter on the way up?” Jojo sighed and kicked a foot on the ground. “Weather Alternate’s not going to just let us waltz on in there and stop them from awakening the Nugget People.” “Plenty of people have already flocked here from all over the world.” Bushido Spirit stuck a blade of grass in his mouth. “By now, the mountain would surely be clearing of gold nuggets. Who’s to say we would even get there before they find the Nugget People?” Summer shook her head. “We can’t think like that. We can’t afford to, not when we’re this close.” “Summer’s right.” Sweetie Belle put her arms around Gipsy and Jojo. “We’re going to see this through. To the end. And I’m going to do my best to make sure everyone gets there in one piece. That’s why I volunteered for this. I didn’t have to be here, but as a friend to your parents, besides you, Gipsy and Bushido, I will do my best to protect you and to honor my sister’s sacrifice for them.” “Well, we’ll need to find a place to stay first…” Fuchsia put her hands behind her head and lifted a corner of her lip in disgust. “We’re not going to find a nice place. The city’s probably packed with prospectors and other annoying people…” “Anywhere’s better than nowhere at this point.” Prism sighed and pointed to a neon sign of a hotel ahead. “We should check there first.” “There’s a hundred percent chance they won’t have any rooms left.” Fuchsia folded her arms. “I doubt you’re the only one to spot that sign miles away.” “Come on, we better start looking. We need some rest…” Jojo rubbed his forehead. “The faster we find something, the better.” “Yeah, hey let me just call my parents, see what’s up.” Summer fished out her phone. “I’ll follow along, just keep looking. I’ll get them updated on our situation.” “Alright, this way. We’ll go down the street and check with all the hotels on the way.” Sweetie Belle motioned with a hand. “And keep an eye out for enemy Stand users. We might’ve beaten Gloriosa, but we’re not done with Weather Alternate yet.” Everyone nodded and followed behind her. Fuchsia wasn’t at all pleased with their predicament, but there was nothing else she could do but complain, and so complain she did. Summer put her phone to her ear, listening to the soft ringing as it attempted to connect her with her mother. It felt as though the ringing went on forever, but when it finally picked up on the other end, Summer was dismayed to know it was just the recording telling her to leave a message at the tone. She looked at her phone’s screen and frowned, then she tried again. When her mother didn’t pick up again, Summer decided to ring another number instead, one she didn’t know if it would do anything, but it would be nice to hear a familiar voice if he picked up. The ringing began for two rounds, but then went silent as another voice appeared on the other end of the phone. “Summer dear, is that you?” “Hey, dad.” Summer smiled. Her father had gone off to Prance before she had set out on her adventure and it had been a while since she’d seen him. “Hey, everything okay? I heard from your mom that you’re off trying to save the world?” “Yeah, we are…” Summer chuckled. “We’re in Germany now, actually. I could probably come see you once all this is over, see what you’re up to.” Summer declined to tell him she couldn’t get through to her mother. The last thing she wanted to do was make him worry more than he already probably is, with his only daughter off on a road trip to save the world with a bunch of her friends. Besides, she didn’t even know if her mother was in any trouble. It could be that she was just unavailable at the moment. She was strong, after all, stronger than her. Flicker Footage joined her in laughter. “Hey, you’ve got this, Summer. You’re your mother’s daughter and your mother saved the world once. You’ll do it again. You’re a Sushi, whether I like to say it or not, you’re meant to do great things.” “Thanks, dad. I know.” She nodded. “Hey, thanks for talking to me. It’s nice to hear your voice.” “You get ‘em good, Summer. I know you’ll get through this. These people don’t have the right to prune away the weaker branches, they don’t have the right to decide which bloodlines fall and which rise up. You find them, Summer, and you make sure they never get to do that ever again. I love you, you know that, right?” “I know, dad. Love you too.” Summer could only smile wider as she ended the call. It was refreshing to hear the voice of one of her parents and it did help to put her heart at ease. They’d already come so far and going back now wasn’t an option. Her mother hadn’t picked up, but she trusted that she was doing okay. She was a Sushi, and Sushi’s were hardy and they wouldn’t back down from a fight if it meant the safety of those around them. As for their walk through Leipzig, as expected, there were no available rooms for them to stay for the night, as every hotel seemed to be fully booked by people from all over the world, here for the booming Nugget Run. Fuchsia Blush groaned all the way, something Summer hadn’t thought was possible. She didn’t know someone could make strange noises without even a second of pause. When they got to the end of the street, they still had no such luck and even Sweetie Belle was starting to feel that there was no hope for a good night’s sleep. “If all else fails…” She sighed and her Stand appeared over her back. “We can sleep in REO Speedwagon. There aren’t any beds as you’ve all seen, but at least it won’t be on the hard ground.” “I’d like to see things get worse from here.” Prism toyed with her fringe. “Things can always get worse.” Fuchsia glared at her. “Fusch this. We already knew we wouldn’t find a place. We shouldn’t have even bothered looking.” “Don’t lose hope now.” Bushido kept his eyes ahead. “I’m sure we can still find a place to rest. To surrender to uncertainty is to have already lost.” “That’s good.” Gipsy Dance waggled a finger in the air. “Did you say that?” Bushido Spirit looked around, then blinked and nodded. “Yes. Yes I did.” “There’s a place there.” Fuchsia pointed beyond the front row of buildings. Everyone had to squint through the dark to see what she was pointing at. “Celldweller says it’s abandoned. We can take shelter there.” “Why would we want to take shelter in an abandoned building?” Prism threw her hands forward. “That’s how you get killed in a horror movie!” “Well, this isn’t a horror movie, Prism.” Sweetie Belle grabbed the straps of her Stand and walked forward. “We should at least check it out. See what kind of amenities they have.” “Why would they even have any?” Prism asked as her friends began to walk past her. “Are you guys serious?” “It beats standing here on the street like a fusching moron.” Fuchsia flicked a hand in her direction and moved on. “I mean, it’s not… I don’t…” Prism followed after them. “Hey!” The streets were near empty of life now and it was the perfect chance for a Stand master to attack them. Summer made sure to keep an eye out for anything remotely resembling a Stand or a Stand master, but at the moment, there was none. She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or cautious, but one thing she was sure of, she wanted to be out of the cold darkness and somewhere warm, preferably with a warm bed and a belly full of warm food. Now that she thought about it, that seemed to be asking a tad much. The base of the abandoned building had a gate that was off its hinges, overgrown with vines which was the reason it still held up. There was a gap between the gate and the fence, not enough for them to squeeze through, but Pegasus Forever pushed it further aside and changed its energy into potential energy, leaving it floating in the air, giving everyone enough room to get through. The grounds here were dark and the grass was overgrown as well. A concrete building stood before them, standing five stories high, broken and the group quickly ushered themselves in, getting away from the cold night air. Prism led the way up the staircase, using her phone’s flashlight to guide the way. Amazing that it still had enough battery after all this traveling. “It’s not as bad as it looks on the outside,” Gipsy said as they arrived on the second floor. This place looked as though it might have been used as a den for unsavory people in the past, with graffiti on the walls and empty beer bottles lying about. “Actually it looks just about the same as outside,” Jojo yawned. “But it’s better than being out in the open.” “A tad chilly, though,” Sweetie commented. “Should we see what’s further up in case there’s someone else here?” “No need,” Prism grinned. “Coldplay!”  Prism’s Stand leapt out and put its hands together as if in an Oriental greeting. After a few seconds of this, the Stand went away. “I just had Coldplay check for heat sources in the building. We’re the only ones here, unless you count the birds nesting on the roof,” Prism said to the group. “Also, there’s a room downstairs on the other side, seems like a basement. It’s the warmest area in this building.” “That’s a really useful ability.” Sweetie smiled as she took out a flashlight from her Stand. “Good offensively, but also supportively!” “I know, right?” Prism squished her cheeks together. “It’s so awesome to have a Stand! Imagine everything we could’ve done if I had it sooner.” Fuchsia rolled her eyes. Prism Dash led the way through the current floor they were on, then back down a staircase at the other end. Over here, there were holes in the wall, broken and left to decay over the years after its abandonment. None of them could tell exactly why this building was abandoned, but they had their theories. “I bet this was some crazy mental asylum and the patients got out and started killing everyone, so they had to leave,” Prism had suggested. “Or possibly, the owner died and no one bought over this place. For some reason.” Jojo shrugged, saying his piece. “Or maybe people thought it was haunted after his death and decided to stay clear of it.” Prism nudged him. “You mean there might be a ghost here?” Gipsy unconsciously began playing with the bangles on one arm. “I would not like to meet it, especially since we are trespassing on its territory.” “Don’t worry. It’s all just theories.” Summer gave her a pat on the shoulder. “I for one, think that whoever was staying here got kicked up for not paying the mortgage. Perhaps they lost it all in debt, or perhaps they made a bad investment.” “What I do know is that you’re all fusching wasting time with this…” Fuchsia moved a finger in a circular motion beside her head. “What’s the point of even trying to guess what happened? The building’s wrecked. That’s it.” “Party pooper…” Prism breathed. “I’m not the one that pooped at the only party she’s been to.” “Hey, I’ve been to more parties than that!” Prism shot up a finger. “And that was just one time! I was drunk, okay?” “It’s a good thing I’m not in college with you and it’s a good thing I’ll never die of embarrassment.” Fuchsia folded her arms. “That’s because you’re already dead inside,” Prism countered. “That’s because I know the reality of things.” “Life isn’t all miserable!” Prism threw a hand into the air. “It’s pretty awesome. Even better now that I have a Stand!” “Fusch this. I’m going to find a place to have a shower. I smell.” Fuchsia looked at the rest of her party. “You all smell. Celldweller agrees.” Prism watched her go, one eye twitching as she tried to process the state of her friend. “Can you believe her? And where is she going to find a place to shower? This place is abandoned!” “She is right though.” Summer sniffed at her armpit and tilted her head away. “We stink. We could do with a shower.” “Hey, you find me a shower, I’ll take one,” Prism said. “But there isn’t any running water in this place.” “We’ll look around more tomorrow.” Sweetie Belle pulled out sleeping rolls from REO Speedwagon and handed them out. “This is the best I have. Once we get to that warm space, we’ll call it a night. We all need some rest after the long day.” Eventually, the group came to a long hallway, which led straight ahead into a larger square room that had a few pieces of machinery near the center of the room. Now Summer understood why this was the warmest place in the building. These machines were boilers, used to pump heat through a building to keep it warm during the winter. Even though it was now abandoned, the room was still pulsing with residue of a forgotten time, continuing its purpose past the end of its life. “Hey, if we could get these working, we won’t even have to worry about the cold.” Prism ran a finger along one boiler. “No one has any Stands that can interact with machinery, huh?” “I am afraid not.” Gipsy Dance pulled a shoal from her pack and wrapped it around herself. “We will have to make do with what we have. On the upside, this is already better than most situations. Ever since Eximus Exo destroyed my home, I’ve been spending most of my nights on the streets or in the sewers.” “Hey, speaking of cold…” Prism ran a finger under her chin, then stretched one arm out to her side and the other one bent down at a ninety degree angle. “Coldplay can absorb heat from its surroundings. I’m sure it can also release it. Coldplay!” Prism’s Stand appeared, spinning in a circle before stretching both arms to the side. Steam began to pour from pipes behind its back and in only a minute, the warmth had a considerable change. “Wow. Why didn’t you do this sooner?” Jojo rubbed at his bare arms. “This is great!” “Cut me some slack, I just got my Stand. I won’t immediately know everything it can do,” Prism said as she set up her roll beside the first boiler. “Good job, Prism.” Sweetie gave her a thumbs up, then sat down against the wall on top of her sleeping roll. “This will make for a much better night. Get some shut eye, all of you. I’ll see you in the morning.” Everyone set up their corners before tucking in. Sweetie just left one roll near the entrance for Fuchsia when she came back as everyone began to turn in for the night. Summer had placed hers near the end of the room below a row of pipes running up into the ceiling. As she closed her eyes and darkness surrounded her, she only had a moment of silence in the void before color began to fill her vision. Her mother ran down a street, looking back over her shoulder over and over again before her right foot smacked into her left, sending her crashing to the ground as she spun around and began scurrying back. A shadowy figure stalked towards her at the other end of the street, its eyes and mouth glowing red. It chuckled evilly, then stretched an arm out and grabbed her around the ankle. Sunset Shimmer summoned Alicorn Fantasy, but with its other hand, the shadow struck it in the snout, sending it crashing through a brick wall on the side. Sunset’s face began bleeding from her Stand’s impact, but she said nothing as the figure pulled her closer, pointing a finger at her. “You should’ve never killed Timber. You have brought on curses for centuries to come. Curses that will never leave until you are dead,” the shadow said. “Your children will face it, your grandchildren will face it, your great-grandchildren will fall to their power. The end comes for your bloodline, Sushi, and all because you interfered with powers beyond your understanding. Weather Alternate is eternal, Weather Alternate will never fall. But you will. Your daughter will.” It twisted its hand and Sunset cried out in pain. Summer wanted to run over to her, to pry the shadow’s hand away and to give it a good beating with Pegasus Forever, but she couldn't. Her legs ran, one in front of the other, but her position did not change. No matter what she did, she could not get closer and she couldn’t save her mother. “Mom!” Summer cried out, but neither her mother nor the shadow could hear her. And when it felt as though there was nothing more she could do, the shadow turned its attention to her and jumped at her faster than she could even breathe. Summer’s eyes flashed open and she sat up, breathing hard as her arms reached out in front of her. It was a dream, they were still in the abandoned building. She breathed a sigh of relief, then put a hand to her chest, feeling the pounding of her heart, still beating rapidly. She was still worried about her mother. She hadn’t picked up her calls earlier in the day and even now, she had yet to call back. She didn’t know what was happening back home in Canterlot, and even though she wanted to trust that her mother would triumph over any battle, a little part of her still worried that she was overestimating her. Summer ran her hands through her face and up through her hair, letting out another drawn out breath before standing up. She wasn’t going to get much more sleep tonight, at least not while her heart was beating like a wind-up toy. She found a high window near her, in the rear of the room, looking out to the street level. She could see rows of buildings on the other side of the street from here, along with the moon, high in the night sky. The rays of light shining in illuminated the floor around her and Summer felt a little better. She couldn’t explain it, but the light seemed to release a calming presence, taking away her worries, at least partially. Summer exhaled again, then shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. It had been a little more than a week since they had left Canterlot and now standing near the mountain that represented the end of their journey, Summer had to think about the outcomes when they got up there. They had always been confident that they would get to go home once they stopped Weather Alternate at Mount Fegel, but they had never once considered what would happen if instead of stopping them, they managed to free the Nugget People. What would they have to do should the Nugget People reawaken? This was something they had to account for realistically, something she couldn’t yet answer. “Can’t sleep? Neither can I.” Summer turned her head as Bushido entered the light rays beside her, a cloth over his katana’s blade. “Just a bad dream. I just needed to cool off before trying to sleep again.” Summer returned her attention to the moon. “I… I saw my mother. Back home. She was being attacked. It looked so real.” “But it was a dream. Dreams sometimes blur the lines between the imaginary and reality.” Bushido swiped the cloth down his blade, then shoved it into his pocket. “I am sure no harm has come to her. From what I have heard, your mother has saved the world once from evil. A person like that has will and resolve beyond the normal human. My grandfather, in all his goodness and love for the world, had never saved it all at once. We could never stand up with someone like your mother. You do not have to worry about her safety. I’m sure it’s the other way around. She must be worried for you.” “I know, it’s just…” Summer took her phone out of her pocket. “She hasn’t answered.” “Worry makes you lose focus. I know how it is, afraid of the possibility our loved ones may be in trouble.” Bushido kept his weapon. “I worried about my mother too when I was searching for an evil Stand master in Japan. He found out where I lived and I had to get my family into hiding.” “What happened?” Bushido paused for a second. “He eventually did find my family, but I managed to get there in time and stopped him. It was a tough battle, but Boney M and I served justice to him that day. But you see, Sushi, the point of this was… I did not let the worry control my actions. I trusted my mother to be safe, I trusted her to protect the family. And it was because of her, my family lived to see another day.” “But it was on your action too. You saved them,” Summer said. “And that is what you’ll do, Sushi.” Bushido put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll save them. Trust your mother and finish your task set before you.” “I… yeah.” Summer nodded. Her mother had Alicorn Fantasy. Weather Alternate should be the ones afraid of her, and Prism’s mom was with her too, along with Jojo’s dad and Fuchsia’s mom. “I’m sure she’s kicking Weather Alternate back to Germany.” Bushido leaned against the wall and slid down till he was seated. “I’ve never met her and I can tell she can hold her own. I trust her too.” “Yeah.” Summer joined him. “Thanks, Bushido. I guess I really needed to hear myself say all this. I feel better already. In fact…” she let out a huge yawn. “I think it’s time to continue my rest.” “Yes, rest well, Sushi, we’ll get to the mountain tomorrow and that means the final push.” Bushido watched the ray of light shining in from the window above them. “Stay strong and stand tall. We’ll finish this and you can see your mother again.”