//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: In For My Heart // Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Twilit Curtain Call // by Jojoleopard //------------------------------// Sunset Shimmer gazed across the city of Angers from her perch on top of the roof of a residential building beside the cafe. The sun was high in the sky now and with it burning down on top of them hotter than ever, it was hard to see where an enemy Stand master could be hiding. She put a hand on top of her hat and sighed contently. At least Summer got me this hat to keep my head cool. But I’m still sweating buckets so close to the sun. Skyburn Dash slammed a fist against the roof ledge. He shook his head and pointed down to the streets and the rooftops. Sunset groaned. It was a hassle that they couldn’t make any sound, but she guessed he meant there was no sign of the enemy on the rooftops or the streets. That would mean that they had a long range Stand. She looked down at Josher and the others below and stretched a hand out. Willing Alicorn Fantasy’s power to work, she noticed the blood on Josher’s face disappear, but a second later, she spat out a mouthful of blood on the sidewalk and doubled over again. Sunset cursed in her mind and punched the ledge. She could reset him, keep him alive, but she couldn’t see the enemy Stand, meaning she couldn’t pinpoint any part of it to reset to a previous location, away from Josher. Skyburn had been watching her and knew that she had just tried to reset his cousin and the enemy Stand afflicting him. They were missing something here. He knew that much. Everyone on the street below had become mute, unable to make a sound from their throats, but only Josher was getting hurt. If he had to guess what was going on, he would guess that there was more than one enemy Stand, and something else was attacking Josher. Something must be inside him. The enemy Stand must be inside him, he thought. Perhaps if he were to get it out, Sunset could reset it to where it had come from and they could track its master down. As for how I’m going to get it out… It’s risky, but I think Runaway’s ability might just work. I have to try, or Josher’s going to end up dead. Skyburn crouched down against a condenser and pointed down before squirming an arm to mimic the movement of a worm to show Sunset. Then he pointed to the side of his head and widened his eyes. Sunset just raised her hands and shrugged. He couldn’t blame her. It was a pain not being able to talk. He now had a greater appreciation for people unable to speak. They go through so much everyday. He just hoped she knew that he was going in and that once he got the enemy Stand out, she would go after it. He tapped a hand against the side of the building and Runaway ran out from within him, running down the building’s facade as it raced for Josher below. His Stand had the ability to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps, meaning it could escape an enemy through an air vent, or it could continue pursuit of an enemy through the tightest of alleys, but one thing he had yet to try was for his Stand to squeeze into the body of another human being. It could shrink to a comfortable size its area allowed, meaning it should be able to travel through a person’s insides, and he could always look through his Stand’s eyes to see what was going on inside. I guess there’s a first time for everything. Here goes nothing…! Runaway spun in a circle around a pipe, then dashed forward and stretched an arm out as it aimed right for Josher’s mouth. Skyburn’s Stand shrunk down and squeezed through the gap between his cousin’s upper and lower rows of teeth, then hopped down his gullet as it kept its eyes out for the enemy Stand. Skyburn’s vision blurred slightly. It seemed that as it grew smaller, his Stand was taking in less and less oxygen and that was reflecting itself on his body as well and he felt the air was thinner around his nostrils now and he was barely getting enough oxygen per breath. This is dangerous. I better find the enemy fast. I won’t be able to keep Runaway this small for long. I can last maybe two minutes in here. Everything was darker inside the body, seeing as no light was coming in, but for some reason, Skyburn found he could still see the paths through the body, slipping out from a small pore between the gullet and the stomach. It was here that his Stand started to pick up sounds of tearing flesh. The enemy was close. Where are you now…? Blood sprayed in Runaway’s face from the right and he stopped his Stand in its tracks. He was next to Josher’s right lung now and there were dozens of slash marks across his organ, only for them to suddenly disappear as though they had never been there before. He smiled. That must’ve been Alicorn Fantasy’s power at work. Though it could reset Josher’s body to a time when he had yet to attain these injuries, it could not remove the enemy Stand from his body. “And what might you be, swimming around inside a human being?” a voice echoed around them. Runaway twisted its head from side to side, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It had been fortunate his Stand had started keeping a lookout, as a metallic figure suddenly dashed past him with both arms pointed in front of itself, brandishing three spikes on each one. Runaway kicked away, then flipped upside down as it cartwheeled away from the enemy Stand’s attack, before throwing one of its batons at the Stand’s back. It hit it between the shoulders, bouncing off and returning to his Stand before it righted itself and held both batons out in front of itself. “A fast one, aren’t you?” The enemy Stand spun around and slashed its claws together, creating a small cluster of sparks. “Surely not faster than I. I am Moves Like Jagger and you’re going to regret coming in here to face me.” Skyburn opened Runaway’s mouth to speak, but then he remembered he couldn’t and instead opted to point a finger at the enemy Stand, then to its feet. “Ah, yes. You can thank Enjoy the Silence for your lack of vocals…” The small Stand guffawed, its voice scratchy and mechanical. “I am PJ Jamas, and as you might’ve already guessed, Die Die Riches wants you dead!” Skyburn nodded. So there were indeed two of them. The one that made them unable to speak was of no threat at the moment, so he decided to keep his focus on Moves Like Jagger. The faster he dealt with this Stand, the faster Josher would feel better and the faster they could track the Stand masters down. “Don’t you want to see the world improve? Don’t you want to live in a world where everyone gets equal rights and privileges?” The enemy asked, clashing its claws together again. “Your quest to stop us shows us just how much the rich are willing to keep their wealth all to themselves.” Skyburn just had Runaway lift its batons. He couldn’t say anything to defend himself anyway. He would just have to do so with weapons. “Have at you, scum!” Moves Like Jagger threw itself forward, rolling like a ball as it stuck its arms out at its sides. Spikes along its body began to spin as well, effectively turning the Stand into a wrecking ball of death. Runaway kicked off Josher’s ribcage and tumbled out of the way, before throwing one of its batons at the enemy Stand. Moves Like Jagger’s rolling knocked it away, but it bounced off the left lung and ricocheted back to Runaway, who used both batons to strike Moves Like Jagger as it came barreling back. Runaway’s attack bounced right off its moving form, which then uncurled and slashed at its midsection. It tore right through Runaway’s abdomen, which reflected itself on Skyburn as he dropped to a knee. I saw that coming, but it still hit me. I have to be more careful… He looked at his wounds. They weren’t deep, but blood was now staining his shirt. “Hee hee! You’re too slow!” Jagger taunted as it curled up like a hedgehog and spindashed around the fleshy walls, slicing them open in the process. Sunset had Alicorn Fantasy heal the lacerations in a blink, but Skyburn didn’t want Josher to suffer any injuries, temporary or not. This Stand is faster than Runaway, it’s true. Skyburn thought as he had Runaway dodge out of the way of another spindash. And I can’t afford to fight recklessly or I’ll hurt Josher more. I have to think of what advantages I have in this battle. “What do you think you can do against my Stand?” Moves Like Jagger laughed again. “Moves Like Jagger has armor plating like a rhinoceros beetle! Sure, if your Stand was bigger, perhaps you could crush mine easily, but now that your Stand is the same size as mine, you’re like an ant trying to take down a beetle! Impossible! Impossible!” Skyburn raised the corner of his mouth in disgust, but he was still unable to say anything. Sunset looked at his face and raised a hand, touching her index finger to her thumb as she lifted the other three fingers. She was asking if everything was okay. He just wiped blood from his mouth across an arm, then gave her a nod. He’d experienced worse injuries from his motocrossing accidents. He had Runaway drop to Josher’s gallbladder next, keeping one foot in front of the other as it raised one arm above its head and lowered the other one below its pelvis. Moves Like Jagger curled itself up again and came rolling towards it. Runaway sidestepped it, trying to find a weakness in its form as it rolled on by, but when it bounced against Josher’s bones, it ricocheted faster than he had anticipated and it slammed itself into Runaway’s chest before it could get away, lodging spikes deep through its body. Skyburn leaned forward and coughed out blood, the surprise almost sending him off the rooftop if Sunset hadn’t caught him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and had Alicorn Fantasy reset his body, but it didn’t help much as Moves Like Jagger bounced back again, tearing off a chunk of Runaway’s side, then sliced through its left ankle. Skyburn opened his mouth to silently scream, and each time, Sunset helped to heal his injuries, only for the enemy Stand to injure Runaway again and again. It’s much too fast. I can’t beat it with speed… But Runaway definitely has better precision. And I think I have an idea… Runaway hefted its batons and readied itself the next time Jagger came rolling around to hit it. As Moves Like Jagger came spinning around like a marble, Runaway threw its left baton at the fleshy ground beneath its feet. The baton jabbed into the fleshy floor and Jagger rolled over it, and like a ball, it bounced up into the air in an arc.  Still spinning, Jagger fell downwards with gravity, and Skyburn timed it just right. His Stand had rather good precision and he had spotted the only weak point available as Moves Like Jagger continued rolling around. He would have one shot, but he was sure his Stand could manage it. As the enemy Stand fell, Runaway threw its second baton forward, slotting it right between Moves Like Jagger’s teeth, forcing them open. In its distraction, it rolled past Runaway and crashed into a fleshy wall, lodging its spikes into it. For a few precious seconds, Moves Like Jagger tried to dislodge the offending baton. More than enough time for Skyburn to enact his plan. Runaway could squeeze into small spaces, no matter how tiny the gap. Skyburn had never even tried to get it into a human before, but if no gap was small enough for Runaway, then perhaps his limits were still far away. In a flash, Runaway had slithered into Moves Like Jagger’s mouth and inside, growing even smaller in the process. Skyburn began to feel his head throb from immense pain. His Stand was receiving even less oxygen as it shrank further and at this stage, he could not even get a whiff of breathable air. He had to end this. Now. “Hey! What are you doing in there! Get out!” PJ Jamas said through her Stand. Outside, Skyburn had a theory he wanted to test. If a Stand was just a manifestation of a person’s fighting spirit and tenacity, then they shouldn’t be bound to the laws of physics like real items. However, he knew that most Stands had a preferred size and he bet that if a Stand that didn’t have Runaway’s properties was to change size, it might take a while. However, Runaway’s ability was to change size and to squeeze into tight spaces. Skyburn’s Stand could change mass much quicker. And now he ordered his Stand to expand slightly, to about the size of a small marble. “Wait, no!” PJ Jamas’ voice said as Runaway began to grow inside Moves Like Jagger. “Stop it! It’s too tight! Too much! Get out! Come out of me!” Moves Like Jagger blew up like a balloon, its limbs sticking out in all directions before bursting with a pop! Runaway stood where Jagger had been, watching as the shreds of the enemy Stand drifted down around it and dissolved into nothingness. Skyburn clutched his chest and began breathing hard. That was much too close for comfort… But I did it, Josher’s safe now. He’ll be okay. The boy wasted no time in getting his Stand out of Josher’s body, allowing him to breathe normally once again, though they still couldn’t utter a sound. He smiled and gave Sunset a thumbs up. The job here was done. At least… the one that posed an immediate threat. Sunset gave him a pat on his shoulder before resetting his injuries, then pointed into the air and traced her finger down a street. If he had to guess, she must’ve picked up something about where the enemy Stand master was hiding. Perhaps she had caught a trail of fighting spirit when he had blown up Moves Like Jagger. Seeing as its master could still talk through it, they would’ve likely been affected too. That was something he didn’t want to see. Sunset kicked off the roof with one of Alicorn Fantasy’s powerful legs before flying down the street and around the first corner, past the cafe. Whatever Skyburn had done inside Josher, Sunset had felt the enemy Stand’s presence diminish, almost like it had faded from existence completely. She would’ve asked him how he had beaten the enemy Stand, but they still couldn’t speak. But that was all about to change. I can feel it, almost like a trail leading back to its Stand master. It’s like an inkling of energy going back when it was destroyed. The Stand master must’ve been far away enough to survive Skyburn’s attack, if only barely. I know where they’re hiding. And I’m going to find them… A few moments earlier… PJ Jamas leaned back into Ivy LeVine’s legs as she smiled to herself, twirling at two locks of hair now, one on each hand. “He’s so done for! This Stand can’t match Moves Like Jagger’s speed!” she proclaimed. “Once I’ve dealt with him, I’ll get back to killing this other child. If only his body would stop healing!”  “It’s that old woman with them.” Ivy stroked a hand down the side of PJ’s head. “Subset Shiner or something. Her Stand has the ability to revert anything to a previous state. That means removing injuries.” “We should’ve invaded her body first…” PJ grumbled. “Hey! What are you doing in there! Get out!” She suddenly jumped to her feet, almost knocking Ivy off the bean bag in the process. “Merde, what’s happening?” Ivy asked, alarmed. PJ had sounded caught off guard. That was never a good sign. She had never seen her so worried, not even in front of Duckie. “PJ, talk to me.” “It’s in me! It’s in Moves Like Jagger!” PJ began clawing at her chest. Then her eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open. “Wait no! Stop it! It’s too tight! Too much! Get out! Come out of me!” Ivy got up and took three steps back, horrified at how panicked PJ looked. Something was happening to her, something bad. And then PJ Jamas was thrust up into the air as blood burst from her eyes, mouth and any opening. She dropped back down and fell against the bloody floor, which stained her white rug. Everything had moved so fast. Ivy couldn’t even believe what had just happened. PJ had suddenly exploded from the inside, and there she was, lying motionless on the floor. They shouldn’t have been able to beat them, not when they worked so well together. They shouldn’t have been able to find Moves Like Jagger, at least not this quickly. They had misread their enemy greatly. “T-T-They got u-us…” she gasped, then closed her eyes. “PJ, PJ, no. Stay with me!” Ivy ran back to her side and grabbed at her shoulders. “I’ll get them. I’ll make sure they pay for this!” And she would get her wish. The window to PJ’s apartment shattered inward and Ivy shrieked as she fell back. Glass shards had embedded themselves in her arms and chest, and one had even made its way through her tongue. Ivy winced as she pulled it from her mouth, then looked up at the shimmering, floating form of Alicorn Fantasy. Sunset Shimmer stepped down from her Stand, then slid a foot forward and brought two fingers up to her face. “You! You did this!” Ivy scrambled back as she brought out Enjoy the Silence between them. “The privileged and connected people always take everything from us! Why must you hold so tightly to this world of yours? We deserve to live comfortably as well!” Her Stand spread its cloak out and angled its head lower as its eight eyes flipped up to look at Alicorn Fantasy. “You’re going to wish you never broke into PJ’s apartment, Subset Shiner!” Ivy stretched her arms out at her sides, then bent them at the elbow to form a triangle under her waist. “You thought Enjoy the Silence’s only ability was to make you all shut your traps?” Sunset narrowed her eyes, but made no move yet. She was smart, Ivy gave her that. She knew not to just rush into combat without knowing what the enemy was going to do. But Ivy smiled. She didn’t need to step closer for her ability to work. “Enjoy the Silence. Through air and space, violator!” There was something like a pop in Ivy’s ears and she knew that sound well. It was the sound of her area of silence reducing, returning vocals to everyone around her as Enjoy the Silence narrowed its ability to one target… “Subset Shiner, you’re going to be violated by Enjoy the Silence’s most powerful attack!” She waved a hand to one side and struck her hip out and tiptoed on one foot. “Enjoy the Silence has the power to stop all forms of sound from your mouth by disabling your vocal vibrations. If it concentrates that power, it can stop more than just your vocal cords.” Sunset took one step forward, then froze as her eyes widened. “That’s right…” Ivy began laughing as she placed a hand under her chin. “That means your whole body would stop vibrating. That would mean you would stop breathing, and your heart would stop beating! You’ve already lost! This is for PJ!” Sunset had stopped moving completely and as all vibrations stopped within her body, it was only a matter of time before her brain would cease from the lack of blood flowing to it from her now-stopped heart. Before Ivy could celebrate her victory for even one more second, there was some kind of static buzz from Alicorn Fantasy’s form and Sunset took one more step forward, before stopping again for a second. Then there it was again and Sunset took another step forward. “No, what are you doing? How can you still be moving?” Ivy raised a hand, taken aback. She wasn’t expecting this. She had been expecting to win, to get revenge for PJ’s injuries. “Your heart would’ve stopped! All vibration should’ve stopped!” Enjoy the Silence leaned forward more, its eyes glowing red as its cape began fluttering more intensely. The rug under its form began to wobble and float up as well as its concentration began to increase in power. But Sunset continued to stalk forward, ever so slightly and Ivy remembered Alicorn Fantasy’s power. “Your Stand is constantly resetting your state to before Enjoy the Silence stopped your vibrations! But you can’t beat me! I’ll just increase the focus on you! The rich will never win!” But even as the ceiling began to crack and the wooden floorboards began to bend, Sunset Shimmer continued to press forward, getting closer with each second. Enjoy the Silence’s aura began to glow brighter and brighter, but so did Alicorn Fantasy. Once it was close enough, it opened its mouth in a silent yell before driving a fist forward into Enjoy the Silence’s forehead. Its crown shattered in two and cracks began to snake out from the center of its forehead. Ivy fell on her back and clutched at her own head as blood seeped out from her fingers. Her head throbbed and she couldn’t even open her eyes from the pain. She heard footsteps approach her before someone cleared their throat above her. “So, you’re going to tell me where your leader is hiding.” It was Sunset and she was now squatting over her position on the ground. “Where is your secret base?” Ivy groaned and rolled around. “I’m… I’m not telling you merde! Tu Blaireau!” She heard her sigh. Ivy cracked an eye open, allowing her vision to adjust itself before checking her surroundings. She could see Sunset’s feet and she didn’t look like she was prepared in any way for a counterattack. And that’s just what Ivy tried to do. A counterattack. “Enjoy the Silence!” she yelled as her Stand shot out from her, ramming its head against Sunset’s chest. Only… it never rammed Sunset’s chest. Alicorn Fantasy had gotten in the way and it now had one hand against Enjoy the Silence’s head and though its hooves weren’t touching the ground, it held strong, stopping Ivy’s Stand in place. “They never learn…” Sunset made a clicking sound with her tongue. With a bray, Alicorn Fantasy dashed through the air, swinging both fists at the injured woman as it began to deliver blow after blow to her body. “Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” Ivy was launched back into the wall leading to the kitchen, smashing it to bits. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the battle was finally over. “It’s good to speak again… She had a powerful Stand. I can’t imagine how I could’ve won if not for Alicorn Fantasy. Thank goodness its power didn’t fail me. If it did, even for one second, I might’ve been a goner at my old age…” With their enemies defeated, it was time to make it back to her allies. In the end, they didn’t get a location out of Die Die Riches, but she was certain they were close by. “They have to be.” Sunset looked out the window she had come from. “They’re here somewhere. And we’re going to find them. The world’s messed up enough as it is. If only Alicorn Fantasy was strong enough to reset it to how it was fifty years ago or so.” Sunset remembered the world she had escaped to when she had first come here. Where she was now didn’t feel like the same place anymore. Crime was becoming more rampant, the divide between the rich and the poor was increasing day by day, the weather was getting hotter and the sea levels were rising, resources like food and minerals were dwindling, and here they were, trying to do their best to stop the world from declining further. Sunset didn’t know how much they could really do, even after taking down Die Die Riches, but she knew they would have to try. They lived on this planet, and that meant they had a duty to make sure it would become a place everyone could live in comfortably. She shook her head. “But for now, Die Die Riches is our main focus. If the world is to continue on existing, they will have to go.” Though they didn’t know Die Die Riches’ exact location, they weren’t going to stop until they found it, and they were close, that much she knew. All they had to do now was to wait for the activists to slip up, and that was the moment she would have them.