//------------------------------// // Part 3: The Demon Stand // Story: Shim Sham's Bizarre Adventure // by Joey JoJo Shabadoo //------------------------------// Saturday evening. The girls agreed to meet up tomorrow morning, behind the school to use the arrow, but for now, they returned home. Unlocking supernatural powers in the middle of a public hospital probably wasn't the brightest idea, but the school was practically deserted on weekends, so there was virtually no chance anyone would bother them. Before breaking up, Applejack asked Bulk one last question. When she first witnessed Bulk’s Stand it appeared translucent, but once she obtained her own Stand, she could see it perfectly. Bulk, naturally, had no clue what she was talking about, but did explain that only a Stand user could see another person’s Stand. Afterwords, Bulk was advised to lay low, in case “the others” tried to control him again, or worse. Only a Stand user could see another person's Stand and yet, the girls could still sense their presence, but why? Why does this strange middle ground suddenly exist? And what about the arrow? Why does it work differently in this world than it does in Equestria? These were, yet more questions plaguing Sunset Shimmer’s mind. Back at her apartment, Sunset was still unsure she even wanted to give her friends Stand powers. Her answer was obviously going to be yes, but she couldn’t lift her perpetual feelings of doubt. She needed to clear her head, the only way she knew how, with a quiet evening walk. She hid the arrow in her jacket to prevent it from being stolen while she was gone. All Sunset needed was a peaceful stroll around town, but it didn’t take long for her to encounter another suspicious figure. She caught a hooded individual sneaking into the park. Her gut told her to ignore it, pretend it was none of her business, but her curiosity dictated otherwise. She was thirsty for information and she wasn't going to let an opportunity like this pass by. She poked her head out from the side of the gate and spied on them. Whoever was under that hood, at the very least it wasn’t Bulk again. This person had a feminine build and were much too small, with a scarf around their neck. If Rarity were here she’d probably be condemning them for their poor fashion sense. They were quietly conversing with another figure, this one was indiscernible. Sunset could see nothing but a black, shadowy shape of a person. “Is this the guy Bulk was talking about?” She thought. Trying to get a closer look, Sunset lost her balance and fell right in front of them. The racket she caused scared the shadow, as it disappeared into the darkness, but drew the attention of the hooded figure. Sunset met the hooded figure with a nervous. “Oops…” She picked herself up and prepared to defend herself, watching the hooded figure, waiting for them to make a move. She already assumed that they were a Stand user, but this Stand looked like no other. The scarf around their neck glowed and separated into two halves, moving from the neck, across the arms and wrapping themselves around the user's fists like gloves. “The scarf is a Stand?” Sunset deduced. Up until now, the Stands she’d seen were human-like apparitions, but this one was essentially just a magical cloth. The figure threw a punch and even though Sunset dodged to the side, their fist collided with the park gate, blowing it clean off it’s hinges. The hooded figure left no openings, after destroying the gate, they immediately rushed over to Sunset for another attack. In a panic, she instinctively pulled the arrow from her coat pocket and wielded it like spear to protect herself. The hooded figure stopped in their tracks at the sight of it. After realising her face hadn’t been caved in yet, Sunset opened her eyes, astonished the arrow actually kept her safe, but that wasn’t the only use the arrow had and if she wanted to get out of this situation unscathed, she needed to use it now. Sunset stood firm as she addressed the hooded figure. “As soon as one hooded Stand user is defeated another one suddenly takes their place. I don't think that's a coincidence. Although, if you wanted to be more secretive you probably should have worn something less obvious than another shady, ragged hoodie.” Although their face was covered by darkness, Sunset could tell she hit a nerve with that insult. She held the arrow out, with the point facing her. “Look like you're not in the mood to answer any of my questions, so I guess now's as good a time as any to finally use this.” “No! Not again!” Despite the hooded figure’s protests, Sunset braced herself and commenced with the stabbing. At first, she was overwhelmed by magical energy, but her determination to seek the truth, to protect her friends and to protect her town from an unknown, diabolical threat allowed her to control the energy and soon, the power of the arrow became hers. She could feel the magic flowing through her, like she was back home in Equestria again. She was confident, she knew she could do this. Without hesitation, she summoned her Stand. For the first time Sunset finally felt like she was in control, but her new found confidence was soon shattered once she laid eyes on what her Stand had become. Although human-like in shape, it didn’t appear to be any stronger than Sunset herself, at least not physically, but that wasn’t the problem. The crimson red skin, the gargoyle wings, the fangs and flaming hair. Sunset’s Stand took on the likeness of a demon. Horrid flashbacks of the day, she too, became a demon, flashed in her mind, but what did this mean? Why was her Stand demonic? There was no time to think on it, the initial shock of her Stand’s appearance was pushed aside as the hooded figure went on the offensive. The figure threw a punch. Sunset attempted to defend herself, but her Stand flew through her and promptly landed it’s own punch to the figure's face, interrupting their assault. Sunset watched her opponent carefully, a feeling of deja vu fell over her as their head turned from the impact, but showed no real signs of distress or pain. “Was... was that it?” The hooded figure asked in disbelief. “Yea…. yeah…” Sunset responded. “Take that!” “I'm not sure what I was supposed to take from that. I hardly felt it. Was that all your Stand could do?” Sunset thought fast. “Well, if it isn’t physically strong then maybe it can use magic instead.” She stretched out her arm and attempted to command her Stand to conjure it's magic, any magic, but nothing happened. “Huh... maybe I need to announce it out loud.” She reasoned. “FIRE!” “MAGIC FLAMES!” “Erratic Blaze King Mode?” "G-grand Viper?" No matter what she ordered, her Stand wouldn't react at all. It simply floated beside her, silently. “Oh, come on! You’re a flaming demon and you can’t use fire magic!?” Her Stand gave no answer. The hooded figure, sat back and watched Sunset as she raged, but eventually grew bored of her comedy routine. “Well, this is disappointing. With a Stand as intimidating as that I expected a little more than, well, nothing. Still, even though you don’t seem to pose a threat now, your knowledge of the arrow is still a problem. Maybe I should erase you, just to be safe.” Sunset was cornered, with no clue as to how her Stand worked. The only strategy she could think of was to run, but just as she was about to make her escape, an extraordinary event, miraculously unfolded before her. An event that occurred so swiftly and without context that she and the hooded figure were completely frozen by it, uncertain if it even happened. From across the road, a flash of white light blinded the girls for a couple of seconds. As the light faded, the girls were dazed, blinded by the sudden flash and in that brief moment, Sunset was left defenseless. From seemingly nowhere, a large fist shot straight through her stomach, but before she had time to fully comprehend who or what attacked her, or even process the pain they had inflicted, they were consumed by another bright light. Sunset desperately looked into the light to try to understand this seemingly random phenomenon, but all she saw were angel like wings before the light, once again faded. Everything quickly returned to normal and Sunset appeared unharmed. The two Stand users were, understandably, confused. “Was that me, or was that you?” The hooded figure asked. “I… don’t know…?” Sunset replied, still feeling around her stomach to confirm if she really was attacked or if she just hallucinated the whole thing. “Did your Stand do that?” The hooded figure asserted. “I don’t know!” Sunset yelled. The hooded figure lowered their guard as the glow around their fists dissipated. “I think it's time for a strategic retreat.” “You’re letting me go?” “I thought it would be convenient to get rid of you now, but I'd rather not mess with whatever that extravagant light show was, besides it’s getting late and I really don’t want to miss out on any beauty sleep, m’kay? But, don't get complacent, we'll be back for the arrow!” With that, the hooded figure cast Sunset aside, like a minor nuisance and casually walked away. Sunset felt a little insulted, being treated with such little respect, but if it meant getting home in one piece she wasn’t going to complain. Once Sunset returned to her apartment, all she could think about was why her Stand was so lackluster compared to her friends and more importantly, what the heck even happened with that light, the angel wings and the hole in her stomach that appeared and then disappeared. There was definitely something strange happening in this town. Normally, thoughts like these would keep Sunset up at night, but she was so exhausted from everything that had happened throughout the day that she couldn’t help but pass out as soon as she laid on her bed. Sunday morning, Sunset remained cautious and vigilant on her way to school, protective of the bag containing the arrow. She was on high alert, checking every alleyway before crossing them and avoiding the park entirely, immediately running away the moment someone so much as said “Hi.” to her. The last thing she needed was to encounter another Stand user. Luckily, for once, there were no issues as she snuck into the back of the school where her friends had been waiting for her... for about an hour. “What the heck took you so long?” Rainbow Dash asked, impatiently tapping her foot. “Shh!” Sunset hushed, surveying the area. “Okay, I don’t think I was followed and no one should see us here.” Pinkie hopped over to Sunset. “So, did you bring the goods?” “Oh, yeah.” Sunset slowly unzipped her bag and discreetly pulled out a bag of doughnuts. “YES! THANK YOU!” Pinkie snagged the doughnuts and eagerly began stuffing her face. “Oh, right." She asked, ingesting her treats. “Did you bring the arrow?” “Yeah, here it is…” Sunset rested the arrow in the palm of her hands, holding it out for the girls to assess. Fluttershy was a little shocked that the arrowhead still had a slight red stain. Rainbow Dash on the other hand was super excited, rubbing her hands in anticipation, she couldn’t wait to see what kind of awesome powers the arrow would bestow upon her. Rarity was more fixated on the arrowhead, intrigued, while Pinkie continued devouring her doughnuts. Applejack hung back, as she waited for the others to do something, anything. “Oh, gimme a break…” She sighed, joining the group. She couldn’t help but find their enamored gawking silly. “So are ya’ll gonna just stare at it, or what?” Dash snapped out of her trance, realising this was her chance, but a split second before she could grab the arrow, Rarity snatched it away, for further examination. “How very odd.” She thought to herself. She analysed the arrowhead and pulled back on both sides to reveal that the four quarters of the fletchings, bent backwards, pointing away from each other. “Hey, wait a minute.” Sunset looked over the arrow. “How did you do that?” “I thought this looked suspicious. This arrowhead isn’t an arrowhead at all. They’re the feathery fletchings twisted backwards. Quite a strange design choice, if you ask me.” Sunset pondered for a moment. “Well, the book did say it was supposed to be disguised as an arrow, so the real arrowhead is the sharp needle on the other side...” She thought for another moment and grimaced at a ghastly idea she had. “Oh no, does that mean when Bulk fired the arrow at Fluttershy, it was backwards?” The girls all cringed at the thought. How could someone make such an idiotic mistake? Pinkie, however found the idea amusing and laughed. “He’s such a dummy, right Flutters?” Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind, she thought the mistake was amusing too, even if it did cause her unnecessary pain. Rainbow Dash grew evermore agitated from all the small talk. “Are you gonna use that thing or not, Rarity? I’m dying over here.” Rarity broke away from her analysis. “What? Oh yes, right, just give me a moment to prepare myself.” She quivered at the sight of the sharp needle, it didn’t look very inviting. She tapped the tip and pricked her finger, letting out a high pitched squeal. "Aw, come on, Rarity.” Implored Applejack. “It’s not that bad, it’s like taking a flu jab.” “But I hate flu jabs. Those needles have been inside so many other people before me, it’s gross.” “Is that why you turned down Flash when he asked you out?” Rainbow Dash let out a hearty chuckle, receiving a congratulatory high five from Applejack. Rarity and Sunset were not amused, but even Fluttershy snuck out a hearty giggle followed by a flustered apology. If Rarity didn’t have a reason to stab herself before, she did now. She sighed with exasperation. “Well, here goes nothing.” She closed her eyes and braced herself as she dug the arrow into her shoulder. Just like the girls before her, her mind and body were overwhelmed by magic for a few seconds before she returned to earth. “Whew, that was quite the rush.” She giggled. “So, where’s your Stand? I wanna see it!” Dash asked excitedly. Rarity contemplated for a moment, she wasn’t actually sure how to summon her Stand, but as she thought about it, her ghostly guardian appeared beside her. Her Stand mirrored her in size and build, but looked as if it were wearing a long gown, covering up its legless torso. Rarity was in awe over her own Stands’ beauty, where as Rainbow Dash fidgeting. “Yeah, that’s cool, now it’s my turn!” She reached out to Rarity’s hand only to find the arrow already gone. Dash looked up at Rarity, waiting for an explanation, but she merely shrugged. They heard a clinking sound, as if something sharp was scraping against concrete. They turned to find Pinkie Pie, happily stabbing her doughnuts with the arrow. “Pinkie!?” Yelled Dash. “What are you doing!?” Pinkie gave her doughnut one last stab for good measure before answering. “I wanted to see if I could give my doughnut a Stand, wouldn’t that be super cool?” Sunset chuckled. “Pinkie, I think the arrow only works on living things.” “Aww…” She sighed dejectedly, throwing the horribly mutilated doughnut away. “Sorry, Kakky…” Dash was suddenly struck a by horrifying thought. “You know, now that I think about it, is it really a good idea to give Pinkie Pie a Stand?” Sunset took Dash's concern into consideration. “You might be right, who knows what twisted, chaotic creature would manifest from the depths of her deranged psyche.” “TOO LATE!” Pinkie shouted, stabbing the arrow into her leg. At first it stung, but soon after, Pinkie began her ascension to Stand user. After the light show there was a pause. The girls looked on in shock as Pinkie came to her senses. She looked around, confused. “Well? Where is it?” Sunset pointed to her upper body. “It’s right there.” Pinkie looked behind. “Where?” “No, there.” Pinkie looked below. “Where?” “No, on your shoulder.” Pinkie looked to her left. “The other shoulder, darling.” Rarity corrected. Pinkie looked to her right and squeed. “Oh my gosh! It’s a mini me!” Indeed, a small, Pinkie Pie pony was resting on her shoulder with it’s tongue sticking out like a cat. “Hi, Mini Me!” She greeted her Stand. “Hi, Big Me!” Her Stand waved back. Rainbow Dash was baffled. “Can Stands talk?” She received another shrug, this time from Sunset. “No one said they couldn’t.” “So, Mini Me, what’s it like being a Stand?” The tiny pink pony pondered for a moment. “I don’t think you’d really underSTAND!” The Pinkie’s laughed together. “Well, I’m sure you’ll help make me an upSTANDing citizen!” Their laughter continued. “I think that pun deserves a STANDing ovation!” Rainbow Dash's headache burned inside her skull. “I can’t STAND this any more!” The pink ones laughed even harder, but Dash had waited long enough. She grabbed the arrow in the middle of their giggling fit. “Finally, I can’t wait to see what cool powers I’ll get.” Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash jammed the arrow into her arm and after yet another light show, manifested her own Stand. “No way!" She gasped in disbelief. "It’s so… small?” Dash’s Stand resembled a harpy, but it was only about the size of her head. Disappointed at first, Dash attempted to command her Stand to see what it could do. To her surprise, it's speed was incredible. It darted around the girls in the blink of an eye. “Oh man, this is so sweet! I’m calling you Ride on Time!” Applejack chuckled. “What? Where’d you get that name from?” “It’s from the phrase “Right on time”, because I’m always fast enough to make it on time.” “Then why don’t ya just call it “Right on Time”?” “You just don’t get it, do you AJ?” “Get what?” “So Rarity, what’s your Stand’s name?” Rarity was taken aback, she never even considered naming it. “Well, it certainly is lovely. How about, Lady Fascination?” Dash gave her a thumbs up in approval. “Pinkie, what about you?” “I don’t know, what do you wanna be called?” “Birthday Train!” Pinkie’s Stand yelled. Rainbow Dash was mystified by her response. “What? Why?” “Because it sounds cool!” They answered in unison. Dash didn’t understand, but since it was Pinkie Pie she wasn’t going to question it. “Hey, Flutters!” Pinkie cried. “What about your Stand?” “Oh, I don’t think it really needs a name.” Fluttershy meekly muttered, looking down at her feet. It was obvious to everyone that she really wanted to name it, but was too embarrassed. “Come on, Fluttershy.” Encouraged Rainbow Dash. “You must have something in mind.” She shifted around, nervously stroking her hair. “Um… I wanted to name it Freesia. After the flowers.” “Aw, that’s sweet, Fluttershy.” Sunset replied. “Any reason?” “I just think they’re nice.” Dash pointed over to her friend watching quietly in the back. “That just leaves good ol’ AJ.” “What? Oh, I don’t know, Apples or something.” Dash stuck out her tongue, blowing a raspberry. “Lame... it’s gotta be something cool.” “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Rainbow, it doesn’t need a name, that’s just silly.” “Well, I guess that’s fine. If you wanna be boring.” “Oh, gimme a break...” “Huh, Gimme a Break? Yeah! That should be the name of your Stand. Gimme a Break! Suits you perfectly.” “What? How’s that even a name? It’s just an expression.” “Well, it’s not like you came up with anything good, besides you say that expression all the time.” “I said it, once!” “Twice.” “Alright, twice.” “Actually you said it multiple times yesterday, too." Sunset added. "Which technically qualifies it as a running gag.” “Don’t you try to muddy the issue with your fancy technicalities.” Rainbow Dash, interjected. “Well, why don’t you come up with something cool then?” “Fine. Um... I... well... the name’s not important!” “All in favour of Applejack’s Stand being called “Gimme a Break” raise their hands.” Naturally, all of the girls present raised their hands in response. “Five to one. Sorry AJ, the name stays.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Oh, gimme a... forget it...” Applejack tugged her hat down, accepting her defeat. The girls laughed at AJ's expense before Rainbow Dash turned to Sunset. “Alright, Sunset, your turn.” Sunset's laughter stopped. “Wait, what?” “It’s your turn to use the arrow.” A feeling of dismay suddenly dampened her mood, as if all her joy was converted into misery in the span of a second. Laughing over her friend's silly names and doughnut Stands gave her a brief moment of levity in an otherwise unfortunate turn of events and she didn’t want to bring down the mood. She sighed, she hoped she could have kept it a secret for just a little longer, but she’d rather not hide anything from her friends. Reluctantly, she summoned her Stand. The smiles from her friends were replaced with looks of uncertainty as Sunset revealed her demon Stand. Feelings were mixed, as memories of their battle with Sunset and her eventual downfall were brought back. They never thought for a second that she was still evil, but a Stand’s powers and appearance drew on the user themselves. They were a reflection of their soul, so why did Sunset's Stand take on such a regretful form? The girls gave Sunset their support through a friendly, reassuring hug, but they were interrupted by the voice of a snarky old man. “Ugh...” He gagged. “So this is where that horrible sound of youthful laughter was emanating from.” A tall, balding man with a beige suit, and distinctive, white goatee stood before them. “A group of young girls, hiding in the back of the school, on a Sunday, giggling to themselves, whilst passing around a strange needle? Tch, tch, those after school specials and guest speakers we hired weren’t cheap, you know? And yet you still choose to ignore their catchy slogans and sick rhymes, and choose to act like delinquents anyway. I’m afraid I’m going to have to confiscate this “doobie” I believe you call them, and ask the six of you to come with me."