Shim Sham's Bizarre Adventure

by Joey JoJo Shabadoo

Part 12: Naked Eye

After defeating two Stand users simultaneously, Pinkie Pie and Birthday Train were feeling pretty good. However, Pinkie couldn’t shake the feeling that she had forgotten something. She got so wrapped up in the energy of the fight that she couldn’t remember what she was even fighting for in the first place.

As Pinkie contemplated, she wandered through the park until she bumped into something hard, flattening her face. Pulling her face back into shape, she scowled at the object blocking her path.

“Stupid clock. Whose idea was it to put a clock in the middle of the park anyway?”

“Isn’t this clock near that spooky forest with the eyeball?” Her Stand replied.

“Eyeball?” Pinkie suddenly gasped, finally remembering the events of the past week. “That’s it! I forgot to ask Suri about that shadow man!”

“Oh no! Did we mess up?”

“You bet your tiny, pink butt we did! Now what do we do?”

“Maybe she ran back to her hideout.”

“But her hideout’s in the forest, how are we supposed to find it with that creepy eyeball messing with our heads?”

“It’s just an eyeball, we’ll be fine.”

Without a hint of fear, Pinkie’s Stand rushed into the forest.

“Mini me, wait!” Pinkie called, chasing after the little pony.

As Pinkie ran deeper into the forest, the same phenomenon she experienced before returned. The forest became impossible to navigate, leaving her lost and confused in a labyrinth of trees, even losing sight of her own Stand.

Despite the confusing layout of the forest, she pressed on, hoping to eventually stumble upon a way out, but to no luck. Tiredness and frustration kicked in, as Pinkie realised what a horrible idea this was, but she couldn’t let her Stand wander off on its own. She wished she had just called it back before letting it run away.

It wasn’t long however, before her Stand returned.

“Why are you shambling around in circles?” The Stand asked.

“Shambling? I'd describe it more like... meandering. Anyway, I'm lost.”

“What? Don’t be silly, the forest isn’t that big, just follow me!”

Birthday Train stuck close to Pinkie as it guided her through the forest.

"Did you find anything?”

“Just some old house. I tried to go inside, but I reached my range limit, when you stopped following me, so I just came back.”

“An old house?”

Although all the trees and foliage looked the same to Pinkie, the light of the setting sun eventually broke through the forest, revealing the clock centre piece in the park.

“Wow! How did you do that?” Pinkie asked.

“Do what?” Her Stand replied, bluntly.

“Didn’t you get lost in their, too?”

“Not really.”

“That’s weird, then again, you wandered off on your own the last time we went in there with Sunset, didn’t you?”

“Sure did!”

While her Stand seemed pleased with itself, it’s actions really got Pinkie’s noggin jogging. What was the house it found? How did her Stand navigate that maze of a forest? It’s not some untapped power, or she would have been aware of it by now, so there must be another factor at play, but if it wasn’t her Stand then maybe it was...

“Of course!” Pinkie suddenly yelled. “I figured it out! Mini me, you helped me discover the eyeball’s weakness!”

“I did? Hooray!”

“We need to get back to Sunset, she’s gonna love this!”

With this new information, Pinkie and her Stand rushed toward the school, as a black wisp stealthily followed behind them.

The sun was setting on another day as Pinkie’s friends patiently waited for her, in front of the school. They were incredibly bored, mindlessly tapping away on their phones, but refused to leave until their friend was finished with whatever business she was tending to.

Their patience soon paid off as Pinkie finally arrived.

“Pinkie?” Sunset groaned. “It’s been over an hour, where were you?”

“Oh, you know, went for a walk, visited the cafe, fought a couple of Stand users and figured out the mystery of the creepy, impenetrable, maze forest!”

“Couple of Stand users? Wait! Are you talking about the forest in the park?”

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Are you serious?”

“Well, it’s more of a guess...”

“A guess is better than nothing. Tell us everything!”

Pinkie cleared her throat and took a moment to gather her thoughts, only to be immediately distracted. Someone was missing.

“Where’s Dashie?”

“Cleaning the gym.” Applejack answered. “The coach didn’t take kindly to her skipping class on Monday.”

“She’s taking a really long time, though. The gym must be really messy today.” Fluttershy added.

Rarity blushed. “Can’t imagine why...”

“Ooh.” Pinkie squealed. “I'm gonna go help her!”

“Pinkie!” Sunset called. “The forest?”

“Oh right! The forest. The secret forest. The forest with the secret. Good old Secret Forest.”

“And that secret is?”

“Oh, it’s quite simple, really. That eyeball traps you in the forest by messing with your vision, but it’s crazy magic doesn't work on Stands.”

“It doesn’t work on Stands...?” Sunset had to think about what exactly that meant, she needed Pinkie to be more specific, it couldn’t be that simple.

“Yeah, Birthday Train was able to run through the forest without any trouble at all, heck she even found that eyeball when we were in there last time.”

“Oh.” A thought suddenly occurred to Fluttershy. “When I was in that forest I couldn’t tell where I was going, Freesia was the one who actually found that spooky house.”

“I guess that proves independent Stands can counter that eyeball's magic, but..." Sunset thought aloud, before coming to a stunning realisation. “Sky!”

“What about the Sky?” Applejack asked.

“No, my Stand!” Sky Should Be High, manifested next to Sunset upon mentioning its name.

“If what Pinkie said is true, that Stands are immune to the eye's magic, then I should be able to find the house no problem, using Sky’s clairvoyance!”

“Well, shoot! What are we waiting for!? Go investigate that house while we still have a little sunlight left.”

“Right!”

With new found confidence, Sunset sent Sky on its mission to investigate the old house. The Stand flew off, hovering over the park, until it located the house and dove toward it, landing with no issues. Sunset didn’t experience any illusions as she watched through the eyes of her Stand, initiating her investigation.

“Ya see anything yet?” Applejack asked.

“Nope, but I guess that’s a good thing. Pinkie was right, the eye's illusions don’t work on Stands.”

Sky hovered around the house, but found nothing abnormal, until it happened upon a suspicious glow.

“I can see a faint light coming from one of the lower floor windows.”

“Can you get a closer look?”

“I’ll try.”

Her Stand peeked through the window, focusing on the light.

“There’s definitely someone in there. I can’t make out any of their features, but they’re staring at the light, intently.”

“Do you think it’s the guy we’ve been after?”

“It has to be.”

Sky focused its vision on the light source.

“No way...” Sunset gasped.

“What? What can you see, now?” Applejack asked, impatiently.

“It’s a monitor.”

“Like a TV?”

“Yeah, but it’s what’s on the monitor that surprised me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s us.”

“What!?”

“W-We’re being watched?” Fluttershy squealed, hiding behind her hair.

“But how, I don't see any cameras around?” Rarity added.

Sunset closely examined the monitor, more specifically, she tried to imagine where this invisible camera for the monitor could be positioned. The picture on-screen showed their backs, just above them and viewed from a slight angle.

Just behind Sunset was the entrance to the school, with ceiling lights supported by pillars. She visualised the entrance in her head and using the monitor as a reference she estimated the position of the camera and after giving it some thought, she had a rough idea of its location.

“Applejack?” She asked. “Get your Stand ready.”

The man observed the girls closely, but couldn’t figure out why they were standing around doing nothing. He only had visuals to work with, as the eye could not pick up sound. He waited for them to do something, anything that would seem interesting. Eventually, he got what he asked for, at the cost of his heart nearly jumping out of his chest.

While the girls still had their backs to him, Sunset Shimmer suddenly turned completely around and glared straight at him.

“W-what the-? She's looking right at me?” He stammered. “No, that's impossible, Naked Eye is invisible when hiding in the shadows and yet, my instincts are screaming at me. What could she possibly be up to?”

There was a brief pause as every muscle in his body tensed up, preparing for disaster to strike and then... the monitor's feed cut off.

The man felt a sudden immense pain as he clutched his right eye and screamed in agony, falling from his chair. He was caught completely off-guard by an attack he, ironically, couldn’t even see.

“Wha-What happened!? What did she do!?” The man picked himself up off the floor and desperately surveyed the surrounding area hoping to find any sort of clue as to what just happened.

“You!” Just outside the window, Sky Should Be High was giving him the same glare Sunset did just before the screen cut out. “She used her Stand to figure out Naked Eye’s position!? I never even considered they’d be brazen enough to pull off a stunt like that!” Before he could retaliate, Sky immediately left the area, leaving the man to wallow in his own anger.

After releasing an enraged roar, he calmed down. Although he was humiliated, he suddenly laughed at the situation he found himself in. “It seems those little hunters have finally found their prey. How unfortunate for them, that fate has favoured me, once again. Just when I was wondering how to gather them all together, they've decided to come to me of their own free will. Without even realising, they're about to deliver the power I long since craved, right onto my doorstep.”

As Sunset’s Stand returned to her, Starlight caught sight of it flying over the park. Having finished her own preparations, all she needed to do now was lay low. She could tell they were about to face that man and she didn’t want to get in their way, yet.

“Well...” Applejack stated. “I destroyed one of the pillars of the school’s entrance, not sure what that accomplished though.”

Sunset dove into the rubble, sorting through the broken pieces, until she pulled out an inky, black creature. “Got it!”

“Ew!” Pinkie gagged. “It’s that creepy eyeball thing!”

“Exactly.” Sunset replied. “That man was watching us from a monitor, so I used that monitor to find the position of his little spy. I guess this eye has more than one use.”

“So, what do we do, now?" Rarity questioned. "That eyeball’s bound to recover soon.”

Sunset hadn’t thought about that, there was no way that man would let them pull a stunt like this again, which meant it was time to act. “A chance like this won’t come again, he has nothing to protect him, which means, we can finally bring the fight straight to him!”

“What about Rainbow Dash? We're not leaving her behind, are we?” Fluttershy asked.

“I'll send her a text, she can join us when she’s ready, we don’t have time to wait for her.”

"Don't you think that's a little risky?" Rarity questioned, again.

"We've already made the first move, it's now or never!"

With their preparations set and with a stylish cage constructed by Rarity, to contain the eye, the girls marched over to the park, to find out the truth behind that man, his identity and his Stands.

Their journey was a quiet one, as they were focused on the task at hand. The sun was just about to set and nightfall was slowly creeping in. Despite the encroaching darkness, the girls forged onward through the forest until they arrived at the old building.

“Well, this is it...” Sunset mumbled, looking over the ominous residence.

“Careful, Sunset.” Fluttershy warned. “Something terrifying happened when I tried to approach that door.”

Sunset hesitated as she reached for the handle, but just to be safe, she decided to use her Stand to kick the door open, instead.

The whole house was shrouded in darkness. Curtains were drawn, lights were off, there didn’t seem to be any electrical outlets at all, as if the house were a remnant from centuries ago. They surveyed the hallway, looking for any sign of the man’s presence.

“Do ya’ll see that light?” Applejack pointed to a dimly lit room, emanating down the hall.

“Yeah.” Sunset replied. “He’s in there...”

The girls steeled their nerves. Within that room was the man who recklessly unleashed supernatural powers among the people of Canterlot, for reasons unknown. The man they had been searching for. They stuck close together as they entered the room.

It was dark, impossible to make out any details about it’s size or contents, all they could see was a figure, patiently sitting at a table, as if he were waiting for them. The figure rose from his chair and turned to face the girls. From his silhouette they could tell he was tall, well built and curiously, had a single red eye.

“We finally found you.” Sunset affirmed. “After all the people you used and the danger you put us through, we’re here to put a stop to whatever twisted plans you have.”

The man looked intrigued, as Sunset continued.

“What are you trying to accomplish? How did you get the Unicorn Arrow? What do you know about magic? Why did you seclude yourself in this room? Just, who are you?”

“And why is it so dark in here?” Pinkie added.

The man took a step forward as the girl’s Stands appeared, ready to defend them.

“I can feel it.” The man spoke. “The power radiating from your Stands. To think I would meet you all again, in this world.”

“You've met us before?” Sunset questioned.

“Let’s just say we’ve had the misfortune of crossing paths, except you, Sunset. I don’t recall ever meeting you on the other side.”

Before she could respond, a light suddenly shone in through the window.

“There.” Pinkie proclaimed, having opened the curtains. “We finally got some light in here!”

With the light of the moon, the girls noticed a body lying at the back of the room.

“Is that... Suri?” Rarity gasped.

Her eyes were open, but completely lifeless.

“What did you do to her!?” Sunset demanded.

“Don’t be alarmed, she’s still alive, if that’s what you’re worried about. She’s just resting, she had a very busy day, after all.”

She may not have been dead, but something was seriously wrong with her. They couldn’t even tell if she was conscious.

“Now girls, you gave me quite the fright with that little stunt you pulled earlier. I never imagined you'd have the guts to attack me like that. Now, allow me to return the favour.” The man’s right eye suddenly opened, as the caged eyeball reacted. “Awaken, my Naked Eye!”

On command, the eyeball awoke and with it came total distortion, as the world around the girls became warped and incomprehensible, a void of nonsensical waves and colour. With the eye reunited with its master, its strength returned, as it sunk out of the cage it was contained in.

Although the man disappeared from sight, his voice could still be heard, taunting the girls.

“Well? Weren’t you going to stop me? End my twisted plans? You’re never going to get any answers if you just stand around gawking. And here I was, looking forward to experiencing the strength of your newfound powers, first hand! Don't tell me you've given up already?”

The girls were ready to chase after the voice, but Sunset stopped them.

“Wait! It’s obviously a trap!”

“We know!” Applejack replied. “But we won't achieve anything by just standing around! If we can exploit his Stand’s weakness then we can fight him head-on!”

Applejack’s reasoning was sound, there were already trapped by the eye’s powers, at this point it really was all or nothing.

They chased down the voice until they came face-to-face with the man once again. Agitated by his evasive manouevers.

“For someone so obsessed with our Stand powers, you sure do like to hide from them a lot.” Sunset scolded.

The man was amused by her bravado. “What are you talking about? I’ve been beside you this entire time.”

Sunset suddenly found herself surrounded by four copies of the man, who all jumped back as she did.

“He duplicated!?” She thought, preparing herself as one of the duplicates started throwing wild kicks at her. Even when backing away, she could feel the incredible force of each strike, barely missing her, but there was no time to be impressed, she had to fight back.

While she continued to dodge, Sky Should Be High ducked underneath the man and threw a punch, stopping his assault. He reeled back, but didn’t seem bothered, his physical prowess made it impossible for a weak Stand like Sky to inflict any real damage.

With Sunset distracted with the first duplicate, a second one appeared beside her, sucker punching her in the gut. The force of his fist sent her flying a few feet. She couldn’t tell if the man’s strength was his own or his Stand’s, but either way, she couldn’t engage him in a physical confrontation, not by herself.

She looked for her friends, as she picked herself up from the floor, but they were nowhere to be seen. She grew anxious, but also suspicious, they were right next to her a moment ago, how could they just vanish?

The man slowly got closer to her, even out in the open, something was still covering him in shadow. Was it his Stand? Just what exactly was this man’s powers? There was no time to dwell on it, even if her own Stand was lacking in strength, she had to fight back, she had to hit him somewhere where it would really hurt.

Sky reappeared and soared at the man’s face, hoping to attack his eye, but as it got close, the man swatted the Stand aside with his blackened arm. The resulting counter smacked Sunset to the ground along with her Stand.

Sunset was knocked senseless, with only a single thought left in her mind: "I thought only Stands could fight other Stands, but that man somehow batted Sky aside like a fly, with just his arm. How did he do that? Birthday Train has a physical form, is that what's happening?"

Her friends weren’t faring any better as they too fought the man’s duplicates alone. None of them could figure out when they were separated, but they hoped that defeating the duplicates would hold the answer, but this only presented more issues.

Applejack’s Stand couldn’t break past one of the duplicate’s shadow barrier, no matter how hard she kicked. With nothing in the void to use as a weapon, Rarity had no choice but to use her own jacket as materials instead. Borrowing an idea she learned from Coco, he transformed her clothes into hard fighting gloves, but no matter how much she attacked the duplicate it merely shrugged off the damage.

Pinkie and Fluttershy were left helpless against the duplicate’s assault against them, with Pinkie taking hits, hoping to tire the man out. Birthday Train tried calling out to her user, but was afraid of attracting the man's attention, potentially endangering herself and Pinkie. Fluttershy was left cowering in a shield. Even if she wanted to attack the duplicate, Freesia would refuse and instead focused on protecting its user.

As Sunset laid on the ground, she watched over the behaviour of the duplicates in the distance, she wasn’t sure, but even with her hazy vision, something about the way they were interacting with each other was peculiar. She looked down to see her phone slipping out of her pocket, there was one unread message.

“Well...” The man squatted, attempting to look Sunset in the eye as he spoke to her. “You really are rather weak, aren’t you? Not at all like the rest of your friends. I thought I could vaguely sense the power of the Elements within you, but I must have been mistaken.”

“You... know about the Elements of Harmony?” Sunset asked, hoping to buy as much time as she could to recuperate.

“Oh, I'm very knowledgeable about Equestrian magic and I can tell your friends have been bestowed far more power than you. You’re certainly no Element of Magic.”

“Why are you so interested in the Elements of Harmony?”

“They hold the key to an incredible power. A power I want for myself.”

Sunset smirked as she picked herself up. “I see, now. Is that why you’re making my friends fight each other?”

“Excuse me?” The man was amazed that Sunset could still stand up, let alone figure out his trick.

“You're too scared to confront their powers on your own, so you tricked them into fighting each other, instead.”

“You can see through my illusion, but how?” The man asked, shocked.

“My Stand may be weak, but it’s not powerless. Your illusions might trick mortal eyes, but it has no effect on Stands. Using Sky’s clairvoyance, I can see what my Stand sees and what it sees, are my friends fighting each other.”

“Ha. Aren't you clever.” The man confessed. “But, even if you’ve figured out my trick, they won’t hear you. The men behind me may be illusions, but the one standing in front of you is very real.”

Sunset wasn’t intimidated, in fact, she looked downright smug. Her overwhelming confidence made the man cautious.

“I don't like that look on your face. Did you lay a trap?”

“That depends, are you good at math?”

“What?”

“Question: How many Elements of Harmony are there?”

“Six.”

“Oh? I only count four.”

The man looked puzzled. “Was that supposed to frighten me? I know exactly who the other two are, I can obtain their powers later, but for now, I think it’s to time I put you to sleep.”

Just when the man thought he had sidestepped Sunset’s trap, a sharp pain erupted from his right eye, like he was struck with a knife. The man clasped his eye in agony, completely stunned by the sudden burning sensation in his skull.

With the man writhing in pain, the illusion created by his eye vanished, revealing to the girls that they were fighting at the Time Dial in the park. Night had fallen and the girls quickly realised they were attacking each other.

“Sunset!” Cried Rainbow Dash from a distance.

“Dash!” She responded.

“Sorry I’m late. I sent you a message, but didn’t get a reply, so I rushed over.”

“Don’t worry, you were just in time.”

“So, that guy kneeling on the floor, crying bloody tears? Is that him?”

“Yeah, that’s him. How did you do that anyway, I didn’t see your Stand.”

“I didn’t attack him, I attacked that thing.” Ride on Time emerged from the bushes, holding a heavily damaged Naked Eye.

While the rest of the girls apologised to each other for nearly beating their friends senseless, the man calmed down from his fit of pain, still holding his hand over his bleeding eye.

He was surrounded by the girls, whose Stands were ready to finally finish off their foe.

“You can’t escape." Sunset claimed. "Your illusion has been broken, your Stand is defeated and your gravely injured. Now, tell us everything.”

There was silence as the girls waited for a response. The crickets were chirping, cars whooshed by from the main road, even the sound of a bus backfiring echoed in the distance.

Finally, the man rose from his crumpled state, chuckling to himself, not out of fear, or anger, but out of genuine amusement, as if he were mocking the girls.

It was then that the shadow concealing his appearance, peeled off of his body, like a smokey mask and in an instant swiped Naked Eye from Ride’s grasp. It then reattached the eye to itself, completing its form.

With the shadow around his body gone, the girls could finally see the visage of the villain. Greyish, black skin. Long, wavy, jet black hair and bright red eyes. He wore only boots, jeans and a tank top. He had the physique and appearance of a strong athlete, but his most outstanding attire was a regal, red cape that unfolded behind him.

The man lowered his hand from his eye to reveal that it had already recovered, although still scarred. His frightening appearance seemed familiar to Sunset.

“Red cape. Red eyes. Dark coat. I’ve read about someone like this before, but what was his name?”

“A valiant effort girls, you’ve proven your worth.” He applauded.

“Could it be him? No, he’d have to be over a thousand years old if it was...”

“Is something troubling you, Sunset? You look lost.”

Sunset didn’t take kindly to his condescending tone, but she couldn’t deny her mind was in a state of disarray, so she simply asked.

“Who are you?”

The man had been asked this question many times since arriving in this world, but now felt like the proper time to finally reveal himself. He looked toward the night sky, as he reminisced on the journey that lead him to this moment, a journey that lasted over a millennia...

“One thousand years ago, a small group of Earth and Pegasi banded together in an attempt to level the playing field against their Unicorn brethren and their seemingly superior magic. Their solution was to awaken the hidden magic within themselves using a tool that emulated a Unicorn’s horn to unleash that magic.

After many failures they were eventually successful in creating a tool that pricked a pressure point in the brain, that would awaken their innate magic. This tool was dubbed: The Unicorn Arrow. But, without a proper horn to control their newfound magic, it manifested outside their body and so, they named this new, external magic: A Stand.

While the little ponies were enamoured with their new powers, the sole Unicorn that helped them achieve their goal was far more intrigued by the possibilities presented by the existence of this external magic. By releasing the magic from within, there were no longer any boundaries on how that magic could be utilised or... who could utilise it.

Using the arrow on himself, he extracted his own magic to gain a Stand of his own, but it wasn’t enough, it didn’t make him any more powerful, he needed more power... a power that could make him unstoppable, a power that could allow him to rule Equestria unopposed. He needed the Elements of Harmony.

Unfortunately even though the Unicorn was able to successfully extract the Element’s powers, he was not able to control them and his plan was quickly foiled. After being found out by the princesses, he had no choice but to go into hiding, in a far away kingdom, surrounded by snow and crystal, until one day, he became the ruler of that kingdom.

Sadly, it wasn’t long before the princesses discovered him, once again and attempted to end his reign over the kingdom, but not before the unicorn sealed himself and his kingdom away, along with Unicorn Arrow. Over the centuries, Stands, the Unicorn Arrow and this kingdom were all forgotten, until one thousand years later, when his seal was finally broken and he returned to the world.”

The man’s story sounded extremely familiar, not just to Sunset, but to all of the girls. As if they had heard it just recently.

“Snow... and crystal...” Sunset thought to herself, this all sounded like material she studied under Celestia, a long time ago. “That sounds like... the Crystal Empire?”

The man smirked, confirming her suspicions.

“But, if the Crystal Empire's returned, then that would mean he’s returned, too...”

“Precisely, the one who proposed the theory of external magic, the one who created the Unicorn Arrow, the ruler of the Crystal Empire and the one, true Stand Master. Is me, King Sombra."

Author's Note:

Stand Name: Naked Eye
User: King Sombra
Namesake:

Attributes:
Power: E
Speed: B
Range: A
Durability: E
Precision: C
Potential: A

Comments

[Saiyan of the North Star]

KO awesome chapter, so all this time is was King Sombra who was pulling the strings of making these new Stand Users just to get the girls powers of the Elements to gain more power. This battle isn't over yet as the tyrant king still got some fight in him.

[Windsor]

Called it. And please don't do the Bites the Dust bullshit with Sombra. Please! I beg you!

[HB_DS2013]

Sombra is pretty much a mix of Part 3 Dio and Diavolo.

[ProjectRabbid]

“Precisely, the one who proposed the theory of external magic, the one who created the Unicorn Arrow, the ruler of the Crystal Empire and the one, true Stand Master. I am King Sombra.”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. FUCK YES. BABY. I love this guy. Geez

[Black--Soul]

Ha! I suspected it, now i know it. The master of Shadows and Fear. SOMBRA ♤