SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Darkness Manifest

by Jojoleopard

Episode 3: Will Your Heart Go On?

Shiho Sunfast had always trusted the Crusaders Foundation to get her what she needed when she needed it, but this time, she had to give them credit.

“They really went beyond here.”

As she stood on the docks of Canterlot Harbor, a private boat had rolled around the corner, coming out from one of the many warehouses that dotted the area. It was a pristine white shape under the sunny sky, complete with a visor to shield its pilot and passengers from the wind, along with beige leather seats, two in front and two rows facing each other behind. It sped over almost soundlessly and listening carefully, Shiho knew it was using a prototype transmuted oil engine, something the world had developed in the last eight years to combat the exhaust of regular fuel that was destroying the atmosphere.

Having studied mechanical engineering in college now, she could appreciate the cutting-edge technology that the Crusaders Foundation had used for this boat. With its new fuel injection system, it could easily travel for over a week before needing to refuel. And when it did, all that the boat needed was some water in the tank mixed with the special tablets which were stashed in the front of the boat. Together, the two elements would combine to make a cleaner compound that the boat could use to power its engine, reducing the destruction to the environment.

The name, Brandy 1, was written on the side in luminous blue paint, which reflected the sea. Her Crusaders Foundation representative, Red Rojas, tapped on the boat’s holographic controls, powering it down as it stopped beside her. Rubber grips pushed out of their compartments on the side of the boat, latching it onto the pier as the red haired man got out of the vehicle, adjusting his also red tie as he cleared his throat.

“Your boat for your travels, Miss Sunfast,” he said politely. “The Brandy 1 is capable of speeds up to ninety knots, and has an inbuilt gyroscopic balancing system that makes it nigh impossible to capsize. The hull is made of a highly durable flexisteel that can withstand impacts of up to two G’s, and the navigation system is state of the art, with our satellites providing constant geolocation from anywhere on the planet. It also comes with a collapsible roof in case you want to shelter from the sun or some inclement weather. Also, the Brandy 1 is also armed with flares in case you should get shipwrecked or the like, so that other vessels can see you even in the brightest day or blackest night. In addition, should you find something you can’t outrun, there’s the emergency feature button under the dash, the red one. It’s fingerprint sensitive so nobody but you or your crew can activate it.”

“That’s nice,” Shiho said as she pulled at the collars of her grey jacket. It wasn’t a cold day, so she had her sleeves rolled up, but the winds around the water tickled at her neck. “Is there a cooler on board where I can stash some drinks?”

“You don’t need to trouble yourself with that, Miss Sunfast. Drinks have already been put on board for you. You will find them in a pullout cooler by the wheel.”

“Just what I need.” She nodded at the vehicle’s holographic console. “Thank you, Rojas. I’ll check the systems before I head out to make sure everything is how I like it.”

“Yes, Miss Sunfast. Oh, and good luck.” He waved as he left. “I hope you find your grandmother.”

Shiho looked over at the horizon past the water. “I hope so too, Rojas.”

Left on her own, she took some time to gather her thoughts about the coming adventure. She let herself exhale as she pictured her grandmother, old and wizened.

“That old crone would be eighty-something by now, old as a bat. That TWI better be looking after her health…” Shiho thought about her cigarettes. It had been ten years since she had quit, but occasionally, she would think about the taste of nicotine in her mouth, along with the whiff of smoke she let out when she breathed. “I’ve got to have a clear head when I find TWI so I can beat her to a pulp and rescue my granny.”

Whatever she was planning, wherever she was, it couldn’t be good for the world, even if she tried to convince everyone that it was.

Shiho spat into the water as she watched two cans clink against one of the pier’s beams. “I’ll find you, granny, and I’ll beat you, TWI. Mark my words.”

“Out to kill more people, are you? I couldn’t expect any less from your family.”

Shiho turned around faster than a speeding bullet and her Stand, Curtain Call, appeared behind her, grabbing its purple cloth in both hands.

Behind her, against a transformer, was a woman in a pink suit and pink heels. She grabbed the corner of her collar, then the bottom of her coat as she bent her left knee slightly. “I’ve been watching you for days, looking for the right time to strike. And now here you are, all alone.”

“Who are you? I don’t have time for this.” Shiho groaned.

“Trust me, you have time.” A blue aura burned up around her. “Shiho Sunfast, granddaughter of Sunset Shimmer, daughter of Summer Shine.”

Shiho rolled her eyes. They never get to the point. “Yes, you know my family, but if you fight me, you’re going to regret it. What do you want?”

Anger burned within the woman’s eyes and she pointed a finger at her. “My name is Flurry Heart. You killed my parents! And my aunt and her boyfriend. Most importantly, you killed my aunt’s precious dog!”

Shiho blinked twice. She knew this story of people coming after her family for the death of a dog, but this was her first time experiencing it. “What have you been smoking? That wasn’t even me, I’ve never met them. And judging by when that all happened, neither have you. At least not your aunt, her boyfriend and their dog.”

“I may not have, but they were family and you took them away from me. I could’ve had more people in my life.” Flurry Heart thumped a fist in her chest. “And I have pictures of that dog. That precious dog, Spike, he was so cute! I could’ve had lots of time cuddling him!”

“Spike again… Always with Spike… Seems I can’t get away from this.” Shiho ran a hand through her purple hair. "You realize dogs don’t live that long anyway, right? You never would’ve met him.”

"Don't you try to talk your way out of this!" Flurry Heart ranted. "With all the advances since then, who says we couldn't have extended Spike's lifespan?"

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" Shiho said, sounding unimpressed. "It was just a freaking dog who by all accounts was trying to kill someone. Get over it and go home before one of us does something she'll regret."

“I’m not going to regret anything.” Flurry Heart narrowed her raging eyes. “My name is Flurry Heart, and today I’m going to remove one from your family! My Heart Will Go On!”

A blue and green humanoid twirled away from Flurry Heart, spinning on its toes with a mad grin plastered on its face. Its swirly eyes looked back at her each time it spun around and it lifted its arms up, holding them high as it continued spinning on the spot.

Shiho flicked a piece of torn paper from her pocket, throwing it high as Curtain Call wrapped it up in its cloth. When it was removed, the paper had become a metal ball, and it tossed it at the enemy Stand. To a little of her surprise, the enemy did nothing to avoid it, but the metal ball went right into its body, disappearing with a small ripple.

“Thanks for that…” Flurry Heart smirked. “Just wait till you see what else I can do.”

Shiho was about to say something, but something flew past her arm and she looked down to see a bloodstained metal plate fly by towards My Heart Will Go On before entering its body like the ball had done. Inspecting her arm, she noticed it now had a long cut near her elbow, dripping blood on the pier’s surface. There was only one place it could’ve come from.

Turning, Shiho ducked low and rolled as another two plates and a handful of screws flew past her previous position, heading right for My Heart Will Go On.

“You shouldn’t have avoided that. You would’ve been cut right in half and my job would be done.” Flurry Heart clucked and bent low, stretching her arms behind her back. “My Heart Will Go On is able to attract metal to itself. Anything in the path of the incoming metal will get diced, like you!”

Shiho examined her boat, which now had part of its console missing thanks to My Heart Will Go On.

"Good grief. I just got this boat and it's already being trashed." Shiho changed direction and began sprinting towards Flurry Heart aiming to end the fight quickly so she could get on with her quest.

But she spotted her mistake a second too late as the metal pole with the warning not to swim here curled down, aimed towards the enemy Stand as its base threatened to dislodge. It smashed Shiho in the face and she flipped on her back, scrunching her eyes shut as she fought against the sudden blow.

“I’ve always wondered how Spike’s fur would feel like in my fingers…” She could hear Flurry Heart’s footsteps getting closer. “He and I would’ve been best friends. Friends for life. But you killed all of them. For nothing. For nothing! That’s just pathetic. At least when I kill you today, I have a reason for doing so.”

My Heart Will Go On stopped spinning and leapt at her, dropping through the air with its heel aimed for Shiho’s head. She summoned Curtain Call, which whipped its cloth around, tying it around the enemy’s leg before pulling to the side, sending My Heart Will Go On crashing into the bent pole, bending it further.

Covering the top half of the pole with its cloth, Curtain Call reached into it and removed a baseball bat before swinging it against My Heart Will Go On’s chin. The enemy Stand staggered back a step, but looked unfazed by the blow.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you something important…” Flurry cackled. “The more metal My Heart Will Go On absorbs, the more durable it gets. Keep it coming!”

Her Stand began spinning again and the steel shutters to the first warehouse tore off its hinges, smacking Shiho on the back of the head, knocking her on her face. Her vision blurred and she thought she had passed out for a second, but she was quick to get out of there as more metal began flying out from behind her, making their way towards My Heart Will Go On.

It must’ve been the loss of blood, but her color of vision seemed to have shifted. The blue sky and sea had turned piss yellow and the road and buildings around her had become a pale blue hue; even her purple hair had changed in her eyes, becoming green, while My Heart Will Go On had become yellow and purple instead.

Shiho rolled her way to the boat, then dropped in and out of sight from My Heart Will Go On as it approached the vehicle, maintaining its spin, drawing in all the nearby metal to itself.
Shiho began pulling out anything she could remove from the boat, covering it with Curtain Call’s cloth before throwing the new shapes at My Heart Will Go On. Gears and plates flew through the air, flowing right into the enemy Stand’s body, disappearing from view.

Flurry Heart bent back with laughter and pointed at Shiho’s rough position on the boat. “You fool! I already told you no metal will be able to harm My Heart Will Go On! I know all about your Curtain Call’s ability to turn objects into other objects. Your favorite objects are metal spikes or metal ball bearings, but news flash, Shiho Sunfast, they’re all metal! And you can forget about wood or plastic damaging my Stand!”

But Shiho didn’t stop. She continuously hurled more metal at My Heart Will Go On, transforming various objects she could grab before having her Stand toss them.

“Because of you, My Heart Will Go On has become tough enough to withstand even one of your punches without feeling a thing!” Flurry began boasting as she thrust both arms down at her side. “If you think you keep feeding it metal, it’ll eventually blow up, then you’re wrong! There’s no limit to how much metal it can absorb! You’ve played the wrong hand and now, revenge will be mine! For my parents! For my aunt and her boyfriend! For my precious dog, Spike, whom I could’ve loved with all my heart!”

“Good grief. I’ve just about had it with these people obsessing over one dog. It wasn’t even that significant,” Shiho said to herself as Flurry Heart continued to rant. “You’re acting like I killed the president or something; hell, I didn’t even kill your dumb dog! You’re about sixty years late!”

Flurry waved a finger through the air. “It doesn’t matter! Your grandmother did it, and so I will kill her granddaughter!”

Shiho sighed, then grabbed the corner of her jacket and stood up. Curtain Call did the same behind her, throwing one last piece at her; it was a red ring that glinted under the sunlight.

“Too bad. I would’ve given you a chance to walk away,” she said. “But your resolve is strong, I’ll give you that. Even though you fight for something totally unnecessary.”

A crooked smile widened across Flurry Heart’s face as she curled a finger towards herself. “I’ll show you how much I’m willing to go through to end you.”

Shiho brushed a hand through her hair and pointed a finger at her. “Big talk for someone who’s about to lose.”

“Oh?” Flurry was intrigued. “How do you plan on doing that? You’ve given My Heart Will Go On plenty of metal to bolster its durability. You can’t stop me now.”

“You didn’t think I was just throwing metal at you because I’m stupid, right?” Shiho said as she shoved a hand in her skirt pocket.

“I assumed you were so.”

Shiho snorted. “I studied mechanical engineering. Surely you knew that from your… extensive research on me to kill me.”

Flurry cut a hand through the air. “Yes, I know all about your profession, but so what?”

“Not very bright, are you?” Shiho shook her head. “Curtain Call had turned all the objects into various pieces of metal before throwing them at your Stand.”

Flurry Heart wasn’t impressed. “Yes, I know that. So what?”

Shiho lifted an eyebrow as the red ring continued to fly towards My Heart Will Go On. “You really didn’t suspect anything, huh?”

Flurry Heart made a suppressed laugh. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“I am.” Shiho nodded. “Because of my field, I know how to fix things. I know how to make things. And what I’ve been giving your Stand was pieces of an explosive.”

Realization finally dawned on Flurry Heart and she looked over at her spinning Stand with a face of madness. “Then why hasn’t it detonated, then? You’re bluffing.”

Shiho waved a hand. “You believe what you want. But this fight is over.”

As the red ring was absorbed into My Heart Will Go On, it clicked into place with the rest of the mechanism inside. Shiho held up her hand, which was holding a small device that had a single button in the center.

Flurry Heart pointed at it. “What is that? What are you holding?”

“Do I really need to explain everything to you?” Shiho moved one finger over the button. “This is what will end you.”

“Not yet!” Flurry Heart dropped to a crouch and pointed two fingers at Shiho, one on each hand. “My Heart Will Go On will stop you!”

Her Stand stopped spinning and immediately dashed for her and Curtain Call, reaching both arms out like it was trying to grab her neck, but Shiho’s finger was faster. With the push of the button, My Heart Will Go On’s chest began to glow orange. Its body began to vibrate and waves rippled out from its center before it expanded and burst, disappearing in a ball of orange fire.

“No-no!” Cracks formed along Flurry Heart’s chest, trailing up to her chin. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this! Your family ruined mine! Vengeance was to be mine! Mom, dad. Spike! Spiiiikkeeeee!”

And she joined her Stand in another explosion, finally dying in a conflagration of heat and flame.

Shiho looked down at the remains of Flurry Heart and tossed the detonator down onto the ground.

“Good grief. When you see your damn dog in hell, tell him he’s still a douche.” She turned her attention back to her boat and groaned. “Now I’ve got to get this working again.”

Shiho didn’t have to feel bad about what she had just done. Flurry Heart’s family had started this almost seventy years ago with her grandmother, with that Twilight and Spike helping an evil principal. Her family had been on the wrong side of things, and now she had been too.

“And now I’ve got to go find my granny as well. The ride never ends, does it?” Shiho took out a stick of fish-flavored gum and put it into her mouth, something she had taken up to avoid smoking. “But rest assured, mom, dad, I will find her. And I’m going to end TWI as well.”

Author's Note:

And another bites the dust. Will this be the end of the way too long revenge trail? Who knows...

Find My Heart Will Go On's chart here.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Nice chapter Jojo.

Sad that Flurry had to go out like that 😢

Maybe in another timeline she would’ve been happy and with her family still

[Jojoleopard]

11588800

Maybe in another timeline she would’ve been happy and with her family still

Perhaps...

[Golden_Reflection]

Stand description has been added.

I've had a thought. Crafteon can induce a loss of sight in a person it touches, it has acts which means that it can get stronger (possibly more range?), TWI's Strange World requires line of sight to alter speeds/time (unless it has evolved since we last saw it used).

Crafteon is a near perfect counter to Strange World, as long as it can make a connection.

[Golden_Reflection]

11590409
No wonder TWI was trying to keep Subterra locked away.

[Genocide Games]

i half-way wonder if sunset killing that dog caused the sushi universe to get as bad as it did here somehow.

[Tokurider45]

And that should be the last we hear of someone seeking revenge for killing Spike for a while…I mean unless twilights parents get involved but they have got to be like what eighty now? So highly unlikely

Great chapter still~