//------------------------------//
// Episode 9: The Sandy Beach Fossil 
// Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Darkness Manifest 
// by Jojoleopard 
//------------------------------//

“Did you hear that?” Subterra Shiver stopped in her tracks, cupping one hand over an ear.

“What, where?” Ocellus looked around, still leaning against a large crescent-shaped boulder.

“I don’t know. It sounded like a scream.” Subterra put her hand down. “We should go check it out.”

“People die all the time.” Shiho Sunfast put her flask back in her coat. “We’re not living in 2010. Even then, I’m sure people died all the time back then too.”

“But… but…” Subterra shared a look with Crafteon as it appeared beside her. “We can’t just leave them if we know they’re dying.”

“Why not? We don’t know them,” Crafteon said.

“We can’t just… we can’t just leave them.” Subterra stared into her Stand’s purple eyes. All she saw was her own reflection. “If we can do something about it, we should.”

Shiho sighed and closed her eyes for a second. “Fine. If we’re dealing with pirates, they’ll be an easy job anyway.”

“Lead the way, Subterra.” Ocellus gestured with a hand.

Breaking into a sprint, Subterra went in the direction she thought she had heard the scream come from. In another seven feet or so, they heard another scream, this time louder. It was a woman’s scream.

Running up a short slope, the three women soon found themselves overlooking a mostly flat sandy shore that ended in a line of grass further up. There was an old rickety building that looked like it was barely being held together by pink rope. On it read the words, ‘Rangi Church welcomes all. Come seek the presence of God’.

In front of the steps was a woman in a black bikini spinning around as she kept her eyes on the sand. She looked like she was in some kind of trouble. Subterra was just about to run in there when Ocellus’ foot stepped against something rubbery. All of a sudden, a shock passed through her leg and she dropped to her knees, only to cry out in pain more.

“I can’t feel my leg!” she said. “Some kind of current. My leg’s going all numb.”

“I don’t see anything…” Shiho frowned. “Curtain Call.”

Her Stand appeared and thrust a hand under the sand. In a blink, it came up with a pink tendril of sorts and there was a sound of crackling before Curtain Call let go of it as Shiho fell back, looking at her hand.

“It stings. Like a jellyfish.” She tried moving her fingers, but it was like she had lost control of her body. “Careful. I have a feeling the whole ground is trapped.”

Before she could move another muscle, something else burst forth from underneath, grabbing ahold of Curtain Call’s left thigh with its jaw. It was a skeletal creature without legs, whose spine ended in a single spike. It growled as Shiho’s leg spat out blood.

“Crafteon!” Subterra called as her Stand wrapped its tentacles around the creature.

It tried to yank it off Curtain Call, but its jaws had latched on tight and each pull only seemed to make it worse for Shiho. 

With nothing else she could do, Subterra had Crafteon unleash its oppressive darkness, sending it towards the bony Stand and Curtain Call. Darkness enveloped them completely and in only two seconds, Subterra observed that Shiho was no longer in pain and she had taken a few steps back as she clutched at her shoulders tightly. Crafteon released its darkness and dashed forward, lashing out its tentacles, hoping to get the enemy, but all it did was hit the sand.

“Thank you, Subterra. This is the work of an enemy Stand…” Shiho breathed shakily. “Whatever it is, it hides under the sand.”

“Do you think that woman is the master?” Ocellus pointed at the woman standing under the church banner.

“Only one way to find out,” Shiho grunted. Curtain Call picked up a loose piece of wood off the ground and transformed it into a metal spike.

“Wait, you’re not thinking of throwing that at her?” Ocellus had Forest Rangers form up and grab Curtain Call’s arm. “She doesn’t look like she’s after us. She looks like she’s looking for something in the sands. Could be the same as us.”

Without warning, the spine end of the bony Stand shot out of the ground, piercing Shiho through the right shoulder before tunneling back under the sand.

Shiho clutched at her wound and dropped to one knee as Curtain Call tried to toss the spike at it. It hit the sand, but from the side, the enemy Stand leapt out from the ground and grabbed it before disappearing on the other side.

“We need to get high ground!” Ocellus warned and had her Stand form into a slope for her to get up on top of a large boulder. “It senses movement on the sands. Hurry, get up here!”

Subterra grabbed Shiho and pushed her towards Forest Rangers, which began moving her up through its tiny hands. Before Subterra could take two more steps, the sand began moving and something under it began tunneling towards her position.

“Subterra, hand!” Shiho had Curtain Call whip its cloth through the air.

Crafteon’s tentacles emerged from Subterra’s back and grabbed the cloth in midair as Curtain Call gave it a quick tug. The black haired girl soared through the air for a second, feeling as though she could fly just as the enemy Stand burst from the sand, just missing her foot. She landed on the rocks with the others as the enemy Stand burrowed away, vanishing from sight.

“You good?” Shiho gave her a pat on the back.

Subterra straightened herself and her coat. “For now… Just what are we up against?”

“This Stand burrows underground and waits for vibrations we create,” Ocellus speculated. “But those jellyfish things… they don’t seem to be a part of this.”

Shiho looked at her hand. “I still can’t move my fingers. This sting is potent. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage. Get that lady’s attention.”

Subterra began waving both arms at the woman in the bikini. Once she noticed they were trying to communicate with her, she held up a hand.

“It’s you. Be careful, there’s something under the sand!” she yelled over.

A man came out of the church door behind her, looking shell shocked. There was blood trailing down his head and part of his shirt was torn off.

“You have to get on something solid!” Subterra cupped her hands around her mouth. “Your church doesn’t look like it’ll last long!”

“It’s been here for years! It’ll hold!” the man shouted back.

“You have to be careful, most people can’t see this creature under the sand!” the woman added. “I have been bestowed special powers by God that lets me see it, but you might not be able to!”

“Powers by God? What is she going on about?” Shiho raised a hand for a second. “Unless she thinks Stand power is from God. Lady! We have powers too! We can see the Stand under the sand!”

“Stand?”

Shiho blinked. “You… Nevermind. We’ll explain later. Just get on something more solid!”

To prove her point, the church building shook and both of them struggled to maintain their balance.

“It’s somehow avoiding Jellyfish’s tentacles! It must be because it's underground with the tentacles. They’re not hidden from it!” the woman said as she looked around wildly. The tentacles around the building loosened after the next impact and planks began falling off the building’s frame. “No, please. Not the church.”

“You’ve got to get over here!” Subterra waved for them. “Get on the rocks!”

The woman looked between them and the church, but before they could make a choice, the wood under them blew up in splinters, sending them and most of the church raining all over the beach as the bony Stand launched high into the sky, spinning in a spiral. The pink tentacles around the church disappeared as the woman hit the ground. With the last reinforcement of the church gone, the four walls fell apart, dropping to the ground in pieces as the roof fell with a deafening bang.

Shiho took this chance and had Curtain Call toss its spike at the enemy Stand as it was falling back to the ground. The spike went under its rib cage, but speared through its right arm, drawing blood as it tunneled back through the sand.

There was a yelp from somewhere under the sand and from a spot beside the church, the Stand surfaces, glowering at them with its orange eyes as a dog appeared below it. It was a tan bull mastiff with a small sailor’s hat perched over its left ear. It had a pink ribbon under its neck and it growled at them before sinking back under the sand.

Unknown to the team, this dog was Capstan Mastiff, a stray from the country of Ireland. On a desperate search for food, she had accidentally stowed away on plane that took her all the way to Canterlot. It was there that she had crossed paths with TWI, who took pity on her. Back then, her body had been thin and malnourished. All she had eaten for years was the trash humans left on the streets, but trash was never filling, nor was it healthy for her body.

TWI had taken her back to an island, where food had been given to her in the form of steaks and sausages. Another thing gifted to her was through an arrow pierced to her neck. After that, she had developed the power of her Stand, Beach Fossil, a Stand capable of swimming through sand and sensing the vibrations above. Since then, she had been a faithful follower of TWI, doing all she could to take down humanity wherever she could, payback for all the years they mistreated her on the streets. Because of TWI, she had never felt more alive.

“Are you for real… Good grief, not another dog…” Shiho rubbed her temple. “My family has had enough of dogs…”

“A dog’s after us?” Subterra tilted her head slightly. Then she pointed to the woman and man on the sand, still lying flat on their faces. “W-We have to help them. They’re on the sand now, that Stand might get them!”

“We’ll have to distract that thing.” Ocellus breathed and split her Stand up into tiny little Forest Rangers. “I’ll send some of them out onto the Stand towards the shore. That might get you enough time to get them to the rocks.”

“We can’t just use up your Stand like that,” Subterra countered. “Won’t you run out of Forest Rangers?”

Ocellus shook her head, then drew a thumb across her cheek before giving her a thumbs up. “Forest Rangers regenerate given time. By the time I’m down to my last Forest Ranger, I’d be dead anyway.”

“Subterra, you help them. I’ll keep watch with Curtain Call.” Shiho shoved a hand into her pocket, while the other one tapped the side of her head. “That Stand’s not going to survive once I kill it.”

“Uh… ye-yeah.” Subterra didn’t know what to say.

As Forest Rangers flung themselves from the rocks, they began scuttling across the sand in a frenzy, spreading out in an arc away from the woman and man. The enemy Stand sensed their movements and a bulge under the sand could be seen traveling towards them. As it spun, it slashed two Forest Rangers to pieces before charging through a swarm of them.

Cuts appeared along Ocellus’ arms in flashes of red. She winced, but she knew what she had to do. Subterra waited till the bony Stand was far enough before sliding down her rock. She rushed for the others, reaching the woman first as they began to stir. She looked up and took Subterra’s hand as she held it out towards her.

“Thank you. I didn’t expect to see you here again. We’ve never been introduced,” the woman said. “I’m Leilani Seabell.”

“Subterra Shiver. Y-You know me?” Subterra was stunned.

“You were here. You… don’t remember?”

“I… I can’t remember anything.” Subterra shook her head sadly. “I lost my memory.”

She wanted to ask more, to know what this lady had seen, but as the sound of sand shifting close by made itself known, she knew she didn’t have time for this, not now.

“We need to get back on the rocks.” She pointed to where Shiho and Ocellus were. “Can you move?”

“I might have hurt my leg from the fall.” Leilani touched her right ankle. “Big Horse, are you able?”

The man pushed to his elbows and nodded. “I’ll follow. Get her to safety first.”

Subterra nodded as Crafteon’s tentacles sprouted from her shoulders, wrapping around Leilani as she shrieked. “It’s okay. It’s just my Stand, Crafteon.”

“S-Stand?”

“Manifestation of your…” Subterra couldn’t remember the sentence. “I’ll tell you later.”

She began running back to the rocks. Already, she could see the enemy changing directions, attracted to her larger vibrations. It moved fast, tunneling through sand like it was water.

“We’re not going to make it in time,” Leilani said.

There was a thud in the sand and they both turned their heads to see Big Horse throwing wood away from them.

“Go! I’ll distract it!” He waved them on as he picked up another plank to throw.

The Stand changed direction again and lunged out to grab the next plank just as it hit the ground. It grabbed it in its jaws and bit it in half before disappearing back underground.

“Come on, Big Horse!” Leilani called as she and Subterra reached the base of the rocks.

Crafteon let go of her and they began climbing as she waved for Big Horse to get going. The man picked up another plank and chucked it high above the destroyed church, running only when he heard the piece of wood bounce against the debris.

The enemy Stand attacked the church again, and Big Horse took the chance to make a mad sprint for the others. But it didn’t take long for the enemy Stand to tunnel back under and sense his footsteps.

“Big Horse, get on the rocks! This way!” Leilani began waving wildly as the ground behind him began moving.

Big Horse broke into a faster run as he tried to get to the rocks. However, he had been wearing loose-fitting sandals and the harder he ran, the more the footwear slapped against the ground, sending up little puffs of sand.

“He’s not going to make it!” Subterra exclaimed in horror.

Sure enough, not two meters behind Big Horse, a bony spine stuck out like the dorsal fin of a shark, slicing through the sand and hot on Big Horse’s trail.

With one final effort, Big Horse leapt into the air, aiming for the rocks. Subterra used Crafteon to stretch out a tendril to grab the man, but before Crafteon could reach Big Horse, the Stand in the sand emerged and bit into Big Horse’s leg, stopping him in midair before dragging him back down into the ground.

“God, help me!” Big Horse had time to say before he disappeared beneath the surface of the sands, never to be seen again.

“Sweet Celestia,” Ocellus gulped. “What a horrible way to go.”

“And upon this rock I will build my church,” Leilani recalled from the Scripture. “I didn’t think it would be quite this literal.”

The others didn’t even spare her a glance.

“Right,” Shiho said, making sure not to put even one toe over the side of their stony protection. “We need to defeat the enemy Stand before that thing finds another way to kill us.”


“Like by scratching away the rock from below,” Ocellus suggested.

“Don’t give it any ideas,” Shiho growled back. “We can’t stay here indefinitely anyway. I have a pony princess nutjob to hunt down and a granny to rescue. Now, our enemy is a dog. A mangy mutt. It’s not going to be as smart as us. We have to find a way to outwit it.”

“At least we have the high ground. It can’t get us up here,” Ocellus said.

As if the universe had something against them, their rocks shook and began to sink into the ground. A bony spine stuck out from the sand, swimming circles around their safe zone.

Ocellus picked up a rock and threw it as far as she could. It was intercepted seconds after it landed and pulled under.

“Is it just me or is it even faster now?” Ocellus asked aloud.

Shiho grumbled. “It must be its renewed vigor. It knows we’re cornered and it is on the verge of victory.”

“But it’s not, is it?” Subterra spoke up. “On the verge of victory, that is. We can beat it.”

“We can if we can predict where it's going to be.” Leilani crouched down on the edge of her rock. “But without a clear line of sight, we might as well be shooting fish in the ocean. If there was some way we could make it come out…”

The rocks began to sink lower, but without warning, the Stand leapt from the sand, slashing at the rock, just barely missing Leilani’s face, but as its spine curled around, it grabbed her around the waist and it pulled her down. Subterra sent out Crafteon, which grabbed her hand with one tentacle. Curtain Call and Forest Rangers grabbed on to Subterra as she pulled Leilani, keeping her from going into the ground with the enemy Stand, but at the speed the enemy was going it, even two muscular Stands could not keep Subterra on high ground and she was pulled down with Leilani.

Subterra swallowed a mouthful of sand as she landed, but knowledge of her situation got her back on her feet in a blink as she attempted to climb back up the rock. The enemy dived out again at her, swiping a bony paw at her. Crafteon dashed at it, ramming its hard head against the enemy’s arm, but it raised its spine and jabbed forward, catching it through a chink of its hard skull, drawing blood. Subterra staggered back as blood sprayed from a wound on her side.

“Subterra, we will not win by sheer force and will. We need to do something,” Crafteon said as it dipped lower to the ground.

“The enemy thinks it has won bringing us down here…” Subterra clutched her side. “But it’s not over. Not yet. Because I know what to do, Crafteon. By falling down, we’ve made it think it has won. With an injury on us like that, we surely can’t fight back. This Stand knows it and its cockiness is what’s going to help us win.”

Crafteon, its thoughts linked with its master’s, knew exactly what she wanted. “Then let us show it who the victor is.”

It floated higher, then stretched its tentacles out to its sides. Subterra stumbled back, putting her back against the rock as she brought a hand up in front of her face, covering one eye with two fingers. Darkness spread out from Crafteon, heading for a row of trees close to them. In the trees were a whole slew of parakeets, chirping away as they watched the battle from the safety of their perches. As the darkness crept up the trees, the parakeets began to panic and they dived from their homes as one, swooping low and away from the darkness, attempting to escape with everything they had.

Shiho and Ocellus covered their ears as they flew by squawking like it was the end of the world. That was when Subterra let a smile form across her pale face.

Leilani saw her smiling and scratched her head. “How does this help us?”

“I might not have my memory, but I still remember that sand, like water, is dense,” Subterra started. “Sound is more compact under these surfaces as compared to the air. If this enemy senses vibrations, it's going to get one really big vibration.”

As the flock of birds flew over the beach and towards the jungle line, their squawks echoed across empty air and under the sand. There was a shrill cry as both enemy Stand and master burst from the sands, flying into the air as the dog covered its ears with its paws.

“Dogs also have better hearing than humans,” Subterra went on as the dog began running its face against the sand, trying to drown out the sound.

“And we’re not letting it get back underground as well. Jellyfish!” Leilani called out as an orange blob with yellow spots slid its pink tentacles into the sand around its master.

From around the dog, pink tentacles shot out of the sand, wrapping around its forelegs. Instantly, its eyes widened as it barked from the sudden sting. It dropped on its face again, unable to move its forelegs.

“Now’s our chance. Shiho! Ocellus!” Subterra turned to her friends.

Curtain Call and Forest Rangers surged forward, fists ready to strike down their enemies. Ocellus targeted the enemy Stand, while Shiho sent her own Stand at the immobilized dog.

“Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!” Curtain Call bellowed, driving its punches into the dog, each blow sounding like a shotgun blast.

Forest Rangers clubbed the Stand with its own fists, punching it so fast that it began to float off the ground as cracks formed along its bones, which then shattered, blowing its Stand to bits. The dog’s eyes bulged in its sockets as Curtain Call delivered one final uppercut, launching it into one of the many palm trees on the beach. It got stuck up in the center of its leaves, remaining there as the tree swayed from side to side.

“Ahhh…” Shiho sighed as Curtain Call faded away. “Nothing like defeating an enemy to make the day better. That, or an ice cold beer and some katsudon, but I’ll take what I can get.”

Leilani walked forward a few steps, then dropped on her knees as she looked at the state of her church. “It happened. After seventy-seven years… Everything my grandfather and my father gave for this building.”

“It’s alright. You can just rebuild it.” Subterra gave her shoulder a pat.

“Or you can help us stop the ones who did this.” Shiho joined them. “They’re out to change the world. Their leader, TWI, aims to kill her way to become ruler of all to reshape the world as she sees fit.”

“There’s only one being in charge of our world. And that’s God.” Leilani picked up a pile of sand in her hand and rubbed it off her palm with a thumb. “Ça ne peut pas être fait. No one person should be in charge of the whole world. No one can be, not even if they mean well.”

“We can’t do nothing while TWI does what she wants with this world.” Ocellus folded her arms and looked at the horizon. 

“Is she like us, then?” Leilani asked. “Does she have powers given by God?”

“These are called Stands, manifestations of your spirit,” Shiho explained. She was very used to explaining this by now. “Magic spills into your world from another world, Equestria, whenever the portal between worlds opens. Ocellus here is from Equestria.”

“P-Portals? Other worlds? Magic?” Leilani’s eyes became so wide they looked like they would pop out. “No, magic is the devil’s work.”

“Good grief. It’s not what you think.” Shiho shook her head. “Whatever. The point is, TWI is dangerous and she needs to be stopped before she overturns the world. And she has my grandmother. I have to save her.”

Leilani pushed to her feet and once again gazed at the ruins of her church. “The church my father and grandfather worked for all their lives has been destroyed. Perhaps… Perhaps this is a sign from God. To not be so rooted in place, that I’ve spent too much time thinking this church was everything. It isn’t. He’s telling me to go out there, to do His work for the world with the power of His Holy Spirit within me.”

“No, it’s…” Shiho reached a hand out, then she shook her head and pursed her lips. “Sure.”

“Very well. I, Leilani Seabell, will help you stop TWI.” Leilani pulled on one of her bikini straps and her other hand slid against her right thigh as she raised that leg on its toes. “For the glory of God. Jellyfish and I will aid you. What can I do?”

“For starters…” Subterra walked closer to her. “You… remembered me? What else do you know about me?”

“You’ve really lost your memory?” Leilani ran a hand through her black hair. “I’m sorry, you didn’t tell me much. You came seeking directions. You said someone was after you and I offered you shelter here in the Rangi Church. However, you decided to go, because you didn’t want to put us in danger, even when I told you God will protect you.”

Subterra didn’t remember this, but for a second, flashes of something came to her mind. She was inside the rundown church, looking at a rusty cross standing behind the altar. Leilani stood to one side and moonlight shone in through one side of the church. She felt cold and tired and wounded, like she had just faced something, barely winning.

“I… I think… I remember that.” Subterra blinked. “Do you, uh, remember which direction I came from?”

The woman smiled. “You told me you sailed from the north, from an island of storms.”

“Island of storms…” Shiho put a hand to her chin. “There aren’t many islands north. None discovered, anyway.”

“Malden Island, that is the closest north-most island I know,” Leilani said. “I-I can direct you there. I know most of these islands well.”

Subterra nodded and returned the smile. “Thank you, Leilani.”

Ocellus gave her a pat on her shoulder. “I’m sorry about your friends and your church. But rest assured, they’ll be avenged.”

- To be Continued...-