> Shim Sham's Bizarre Adventure
>  by Joey JoJo Shabadoo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Part 1: The Arrow and Burly Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was finally a Friday, the end of the school week and late in the evening. After a friendly get together our main six girls, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer were heading home. It was a cool, Spring evening and as the Sun was setting, Sunset and Fluttershy walked home together.

“What are you doing on your phone?” Sunset asked.

“Just texting my mom that I’m on my way home. She gets worried if I stay out too late.” 

Sunset couldn’t help but smile at such a quaint response. It gave her a warm, comforting feeling seeing Fluttershy act so adorably innocent. It gave Sunset the idea, that they should cut through the park to get to Fluttershy’s house a little faster. However, Fluttershy wasn't so sure, as she felt that the flickering of the faulty street lights made the park look a little dangerous, you never know what’s lurking in those shadows. 

"Dangerous?" Sunset was amused. "Have you been reading those tabloids, again?" 

Fluttershy couldn't bring herself to lie and expressed her concern. "But, they said strange activities were reported in there over the last few days." 

"Fluttershy, those papers will print anything if they think it'll sell. They're total nonsense."

"I don't know..."

Sunset was indignant, she had to prove to Fluttershy that those stories were nothing but mildly amusing lies. With the evening glow of the Sun still illuminating their path, she knew the only way to prove to her gullible friend that there was nothing to worry about, was to march through that park. 

“We’ll be in and out in no time, nothing is going to happen.” She boldly stated.

As the light from the Sun sank over the horizon and the darkness slowly crept in, the girl’s felt a little uneasy. 

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Sunset thought to herself. 

She felt as if something was watching them from the shadows. The girls were about to pick up the pace and get out of there as fast as humanly possible, when they were spotted. Shrouded by the darkness of the trees. A hooded figure wielding a strange bow and arrow, raised his weapon, took aim at his target and without hesitation, fired. 

The girls heard something cut through the air, but before they had time to react, Fluttershy had been struck by an arrow, lodging itself deep in the side of her waist. Paralyzed by immense pain, fear and confusion, she fell to the ground, unable to muster the strength to cry out for help, as the arrow burrowed itself into her skin and blood slowly dripped from the wound.

Sunset let out a horrified scream as she immediately knelt down to help Fluttershy, but there wasn’t much she could do. Removing the arrow would probably result in excessive blood loss, the real problem was the figure lurking in the trees, who was making a move toward the girls. 

The hooded figure emerged from the shadows, without a care for what they had done. Through his casual attire, he was noticeably muscular and was unfazed by the violent scene he created. As he drew closer, Sunset jumped up, arms out-stretched, attempting to defend Fluttershy in any way she could, even if she had no real way of defending either of them. 

“What did you do to Fluttershy!?” She yelled, hoping to get some sort of explanation, but the man just stood there silently. “I said: What did you do to her!?” She yelled again, only to be met with the same silence. 

Sunset was stressing out. Fluttershy was in critical condition, but it would be too dangerous to carry her away with their attacker so close. In a desperate rage, she lunged at him, landing a punch right to his face. The man stammered backwards for a moment, his head turned sideways from the force of the blow. 

There was a quiet pause as Sunset waited for a reaction. Without warning, an unknown force manifested itself above the hooded man. Sunset didn’t understand what she was seeing, she could only make out a vague, translucent shape. Whatever it was, it was big, at least twice her size. It had no legs, just a torso with two large, imposing arms with a head between them. 

Sunset struggled to comprhend what she was seeing. Was it a ghost? A familiar? Or something else entirely? Before she had a chance to even express her disbelief the translucent being threw a heavy punch to her gut and sent her flying down the park’s walkway, sending her far away from her injured friend.

Crashing into the ground, Sunset struggled to get up from the immense pain in her gut, only able to lift her head. The wound wasn’t fatal, but her breathing became heavier. The man was only interested in swatting her away. She figured she needed to stay down, if she wanted to survive, but with what little view she had from the ground, she could see the man move toward Fluttershy once again. With her friend in danger, she knew staying down was no longer an option. 

Sunset gathered some pebbles lying at her side and forced herself on her feet. Just standing proved to be a trying task as her knees nearly gave out, but she needed to get the man’s attention away from her friend and through sheer determination she temporarily regained her footing. As the man reached for Fluttershy, she threw the pebbles as hard as she could. They didn’t do much in the way of damage, merely bouncing off him, but they got his attention. 

The man backed off and turned to Sunset. Although she couldn’t see his face, she could tell from the way he clenched his fists as he faced her, that his patience was wearing thin. As he sauntered toward her with the same emotionless gait as before, the strange, ghost like being from earlier re-appeared above him. Sunset didn’t have the strength to run and had no real plan other than throwing those pebbles. She was just winging it, doing whatever she could to protect her friend.

Sunset and the man once again come face to face, giving her the opportunity to examine the man’s up close, but she could only discern his eyes within the darkness of his hood. They looked eerily calm, almost soulless. The ghost like figure grabbed Sunset on the top of her head and lifted her helplessly into the air with it’s giant arm. This was it, one punch was all it took to end everything right here. She tried to put on a tough face, but Sunset was still too weak from the punch earlier to fight back. All she could do was brace herself and pray that something, anything, came to save her and her friend.

But there was nothing.

Other than the sound of the wind in the trees, there was complete silence as the ghost pulled back it’s freehand, ready to unleash a devastating attack. The ghost launched it’s fist, but suddenly stopped just millimetres from Sunset's face. Her heart nearly stopped from the shock alone, she thought for sure she was dead, but why did the man stop? 

There was a low rustling and scuffing sound. The man looked behind him, the ghost’s attention was also drawn away. Sunset wasn’t sure what was going on, but all became clear when she too looked behind them. Fluttershy was back on her feet. Just moments ago she was in critical condition and totally defenseless, but by some miracle, she was standing on her own, but something was strange about her, a bizarre, but powerful, humanoid, translucent being was floating above her. 

The hooded man finally broke his silence and snarled in disbelief “A Stand!?” 

Sunset didn’t know what he meant or why he was mad, but she took a note of the word“Stand”. Fluttershy lifted her head to face her foe, angered, with her arms crossed like an irritated mother, ready to scold her children, but she was also surprisingly calm, especially for someone with an arrow stuck in her waist. She reached her hand down to the arrow, still maintaining eye contact with the hooded man, firmly grasped it and yanked it out of herself. Sunset winced, that must have hurt, as blood spurted out of the wound, but Fluttershy seemed completely composed. 

“You!” She yelled in a demanding tone, pointing the arrow at the man. “You shouldn’t go around throwing sharp objects like that. You could hurt someone, you…. Meanie!” 

Despite her best efforts, Fluttershy's insults were severely lacking. 

“Now, do you want this back?” Fluttershy asked. The man hesitated, but had no choice but to cooperate, he did need that arrow back, it was quite unique and losing it would be disastrous. 

“Yes.” He reluctantly replied.

Fluttershy suddenly returned to her usual, sweet, kind self. “Then why don’t we trade for it. Leave me and Sunset alone and I'll give you the arrow back and no one else has to get hurt.” She proposed with a smile.

There was a pause as the man contemplated the offer, he then came to a realisation. He chuckled under his breath. 

“Idiot! Do you really think you’re in a position to bargain with me!? I could crush both of you right now if I wanted to!” He boasted, confident he was already in a winning position.

Fluttershy was disappointed with his arrogant response and turned on her serious face, again. “If that’s how you’re going to act, I’ll just snap this arrow in half then…” She retorted. 

The man’s confidence dwindled immediately from her threat. “No, wait! I still need that!” He pleaded. However, the girls weren’t impressed with his negotiating skills. 

“Fine!” Fluttershy announced to the bewilderment of the others. She handed the arrow to the ghost like figure hovering over her, who grasped it in it’s hand. She uncrossed her arms, stretched out her left arm and pointed directly at the hooded man with her finger as if it were a gun. “Then take it!” 

The ghost above her tossed the arrow like a javelin at the man. In the blink of an eye, it soared through the air, across the park and embedded itself in the arm of the man’s own ghost. The pain of being impaled caused the ghost to drop Sunset who quickly escaped from the man’s range. Strangely though, the man acted as if he had been impaled and even seemed to have a wound on the same arm as the ghost. 

As the man staggered in pain, Fluttershy rushed over to him, her ghost positioned itself in front of her. Before the man had time to defend, Fluttershy’s ghost knocked him into the air and unleashed a barrage of blindingly fast punches that juggled him, handing him a sound beating before delivering on final punch that sent him flying across the park. 

Sunset Shimmer was stunned, but also impressed by the amount of butt Fluttershy just whooped, even if she didn’t understand what actually happened. The fight was over, with Fluttershy left exhausted, as if she just ran a marathon. Her strange ghost disappeared as she began to faint, but not before Sunset dove to catch her. She checked her wound from the arrow. It didn’t seem as bad as she initially thought, but even so, she definitely needed to get Fluttershy medical attention. 

She also needed to check on the man too, but unfortunately, he somehow managed to slip away while Sunset was distracted, helping her friend. The man must have been desperate to escape, as the arrow that pierced his arm was left behind. 

And so, the pair were left alone in the now silent park as they waited for an ambulance to arrive. Due to it’s supernatural nature, Sunset decided to keep the assault a secret, hiding the arrow away and instead claimed that Fluttershy fell on a sharp branch in the forest. As soon as the incident calmed down Sunset retrieved the arrow, hid it inside her jacket and returned home with it, while her friend spent the night in the hospital. 

But still, after everything that happened, Sunset couldn’t quite piece together what had actually happened. Ghosts, strange powers, a hooded assailant with an arrow, and “Stands”? The first opportunity she got, she made a note of the incident in her diary, but not just any diary, the diary she used to communicate with Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, simply to ask her one question: 

“Do you know what a “Stand” is?”

The next morning, the sky was a lovely, clear blue, the exact opposite of how Sunset was feeling. Her mind was clouded. She didn’t get enough sleep. Too many thoughts were racing through her head at once as she kept looking back at her diary, desperately waiting for a reply from Twilight. She had been awake for a couple of hours and spent that time drinking coffee and doing research on the internet, trying to find any information on stands and ghost arrows, but to no avail.

She sat back in her chair and looked around her small, messy apartment as she contemplated what to do next. She stared at the arrow laying on her desk, the tip still stained with blood, reminding her of Fluttershy. Maybe now was a good time to pay her a visit. She was just about to check the hospital visiting hours when there was a knock at her door.

Sunset answered, only to be met with an irritated Applejack. Without so much as a “hello” Applejack cut right to chase. “You mind explaining to me how poor ol’ Fluttershy ended up in the hospital last night?” 

“Uhh….” Before Sunset could gather her thoughts Applejack interrupted.

“Don’t bother, I already know.” She sighed, letting herself into Sunset’s apartment. “Something about ghosts and arrows or something. I don’t know, her story was all over the place. I didn’t understand a word of it. None of it made any sense.” 

Applejack was right to feel doubtful of such a strange tale, Sunset would have felt the same way. “I figured you might know something about it, you’re prety good at dealing with strange, magical stuff, right? You're like an expert at this point.”

While Sunset enjoyed the compliment it only made her feel more disappointed in herself. 

“I’m sorry.” She apologised. “I’ve been researching all morning, but all I could find was some weird japanese comic book. Some expert I turned out to be...”

“So you don’t have anything?” 

“I sent a message to Princess Twilight, but other than that, no. All I really have is the arrow Fluttershy was struck with.” Sunset looked dispirited. “But she’s okay though, right?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. The doctor said her wound was healing up surprisingly fast.”

Sunset was relieved.

Applejack took a gander at the arrow sitting on Sunset’s desk, picked it up and examined it. “So, I take it this is the “tree branch” she told the doctor she fell on?”

“AJ, be careful with that!” Sunset snatched the arrow back immediately. “It could still be dangerous!”

"Oh, give me a break, it's just an arrow, or are you afraid I'll prick my finger." Applejack joked.

"Being stabbed by this arrow was how Fluttershy received those bizarre powers. I mean, sure they saved our lives, but I still don't know how any of this works." 

“So, there really was some truth in Fluttershy's strange ramblings."

"What? You thought she lied?"

"Of course not! I just, didn't really know what to make of it..."

Applejack felt a little embarrassed for not believing in her friend. 

"It's fine." Sunset empathised. "It's a hard pill to swallow. I'd be doubtful too."

Applejack shifted the conversation back to the arrow. "It sure is a strange looking thing, isn't it? The back doesn’t even have the little feathery thing, it’s all sharp like a needle.” 

Sunset wondered about that too, but couldn’t think of any real reason for it other than it must have lost it’s fletchings some time ago. It certainly looked old, ancient even.

“Welp! No point in sitting around here, let’s go see Flutters. Talking to you might jog her memory.” Applejack suggested, heading for the door.

“Alright, let me just grab some things.” Sunset picked up her bag and placed the arrow and her diary inside. 

“Hey!” She yelled to Applejack as they left. “You weren't mad when you came in earlier, were you?”

“Nah, I was just worried. Fluttershy doesn’t seem to remember too much of what happened. You were the only one I could talk to about it.”

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as they headed down the street. 

The part of town Sunset lived in was rather quiet, with very few people or cars on the road. 

“This makes it the perfect place for an ambush.” Thought a hooded individual, lurking in an alleyway as he waited for his prey to come closer. 

As the girls approached the alley way, the hooded man waltzed out in front of them, with his ghost like figure already summoned. Sunset pushed Applejack behind her. 

“Woah, hold up. What’s going on?” Applejack stammered. 

“It’s him.” Sunset explained.

“Who?”

“The one who attacked us!”

Applejack looked over the hooded man, but was instantly disturbed by the presence of the huge spectral being above him. 

“What?” She trembled. “What the heck is that thing!?”

“You can see it, too?” The hooded man grunted. “What the heck? They said only a Stand user could see another person’s Stand. Did you two use the arrow?”

“Ya didn’t answer my question!” Applejack interjected. “What is that? What kind of freaky magic are you using?”

“I’m not answering that. I don’t know how you’re able to see Burly Heart, the others can figure that out. I’m just here for the arrow.”

“Burly what now?” Applejack chuckled.

“My Stand’s name. It perfectly describes its massive strength and strong heart.” The man declared, proudly.

“You named it?” Applejack turned to Sunset, perplexed. “Sugarcube, you sure this guy’s head is on straight?”

Sunset giggled. “I doubt it.”

The girls continued to laugh, leaving the man feeling dejected. He thought it sounded cool. After feeling sorry for himself, he noticed something poking a hole through Sunset’s bag. He'd recognise that sharpened point anywhere, it was the arrow.

“I knew it!” He yelled, breaking their laughter. “I knew you stole it! Following you home was the right move! Now Suri won’t have to mess with me, again!” 

Despite his rather simple minded nature, the girls suddenly remembered how dangerous the man was and made a mad dash across the street. They needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible, but the hooded man had other plans. 

His Stand created a ring like object and threw it ahead of the girls. The ring flew through the air like a frisbee, passed the girls and floated in front of them, with the hole facing forward. The Stand created a second ring around itself and it’s user and by using some magical force, the hooded man and Burly Heart entered the first ring and reappeared, stepping out of the second. The girls stopped in their tracks after witnessing its powers. Sunset was especially terrified. 

“No way!” She shouted in disbelief. “Teleportation magic!? A magic portal!? No! This is something else entirely! I’ve never seen this kind of magic before!” Thoughts were once again, racing through Sunset’s head, like puzzle pieces swirling around like a storm in her mind, refusing to come together to form a coherent picture. 

“How’d the heck you do that?” Applejack asked bluntly.

The hooded man felt generous and decided to explain how his Stand’s power worked, mostly to stroke his own ego. “My Stand, Burly Heart, not only possesses super strength but it can also, create two rings that I can use to travel through. They’re like portals. It's kinda hard to move around during a fight when you're a big guy like me, but my Stand power more than makes up for it.” 

“That must be how you disappeared last night, right?” Sunset responded.

“Exactly! No matter the distance, I’ll always be able to leave at least one ring wherever I feel like and I'll always be able to travel to it using the second. It's like the best escape plan ever.” 

The man was ecstatic, he never got a chance to talk about his powers, but after coming down from his high he politely asked Sunset to hand over the arrow, only for her to shrug sarcastically. Her bag was gone and so was Applejack. The man turned around to find Applejack already running halfway down the street. “Hey! You can't run away when I'm talking!”

Using his mighty strength, his Stand threw a ring towards Applejack. It flew an incredible distance, landing ahead of her. The man readied his second ring to travel through, with Sunset silently following through the ring portal with him. It was a strange experience, but somehow she was able to walk through the rings and appear in front of Applejack. 

“What the!?” He cried as he saw Sunset standing beside him. “You followed me through Burly Heart’s rings?” 

“Yeah, I guess I did.” Sunset replied, readying herself for a fight. “And I’m not gonna let you hurt my friend!”

The man’s Stand picked Sunset up by her head, once again, leaving her helpless. The man attempted to use this situation to his advantage. 

“Alright." He taunted, dangling Sunset like a set of keys. "Hand over the arrow and I promise I won’t crush your friend’s head. And just to make sure you don’t run away, again.” The man dropped a ring behind Applejack “There, now you’re trapped, so hand it over.”

Applejack slowly pulled the arrow out of the bag, as the hooded man watched in anticipation. She put the bag down and held the arrow in front of her. The rings were positioned behind her and the man, so she knew she could escape by running to the left or right, but she also knew she couldn’t abandon her friend. She looked down at the arrow and crafted an idea. If Fluttershy received a Stand power from being stabbed by the arrow, then maybe…

“Will you stop staring and just give it already! My arm’s getting tired!” The man grew evermore impatient, it was now or never. Applejack held the arrow out, but just as the man reached out for it, she a gave a wink and a smile to Sunset before stabbing herself in the shoulder with the opposite side. 

“Aw man! No!” The man yelled. 

“Applejack, what are you doing!?” Sunset screamed. 

But it was too late, the power of the arrow was already infusing itself with Applejack. She was frozen in place as her body released a bizarre energy. After a few seconds the energy wore off and she returned to normal. Applejack hardly felt any pain from the arrow, it was more akin to taking a shot from a doctor.

Sunset and the man watched carefully, they knew something strange was about to happen. Applejack looked at the two of them. For a moment, she was so overwhelmed by the arrow’s power she forgot why she stabbed herself in the first place. She glanced at the hooded man, his Stand now more clearly visible, as a black and brown hulking mass of metal and muscle, and remembered instantly. Her friend was in danger and she needed the arrow's power to stop him. 

In that very moment her Stand manifested itself in front of her. Like Fluttershy’s, Applejack’s Stand resembled her in appearance, but as an eccentric, orange spirit. It’s torso was sleek, but in return it’s legs looked bone-crushingly strong.

“Oh no, she can control her Stand already!?” The man became anxious. “I need to get rid of you, now!” 

The man’s Stand raised it’s free arm before slamming it down like a mighty hammer. In a split second Applejack’s Stand countered by blocking the massive arm with a kick, holding it in place as the arm struggled to overpower it’s thick thigh. 

“WHAT!? THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!” The man was outraged. How could anything possibly be a match for Burly Heart's strength? He threw Sunset aside and attempted to crush Applejack and her Stand with both arms. As the arms came crashing down with the force of a truck, AJ dodged by leaping back into the ring behind them and appearing out of the ring behind the hooded man. 

“You’re right, you really are slow.” Applejack quipped, as her Stand kicked the hooded man so hard he spun around, facing her. 

Applejack’s Stand delivered a devastating dosage of rapid fire kicks to every region of the man’s body. As this barrage of beatings transpired, she came to Sunset's aide and helped her off the ground. After dusting her off and receiving a nice “Thank you” she turned her attention back to the man as her Stand released one final blow that rocketed him through the air and into his own ring, sending him flying out the second ring, which then caused him to fly back into the first ring again. The momentum from flying through one ring into the next created an infinite loop that the man was powerless to escape from. 

The girls were delighted by the man's misfortune, but after enjoying the wild ride they had created, Applejack’s Stand eventually kicked the first ring down letting the man crash into the concrete. Sunset rushed over to him as quickly as possible, she didn’t want him getting away, again. 

He was unconscious, but still breathing. He may not have been very smart, but he was still exceptionally tough. After all the torment he put her through, it was time to finally pull back the hood and reveal the identity of this sneaking, supernatural, snake. 

“What!?” She howled. “This is the guy who’s been attacking us this whole time!?” 

The man had white, pale skin and short blonde hair.

“Ain't he that Bulk Biceps guy?” Applejack pointed out. “What’s this dim, muscle-bound, meathead doing antagonising us with weird, magic powers?” 

“Bulk may be a meathead, but he’s a big softy. Why would he do something like this?” 
Sunset was dumbfounded, but at least this explained the man's poor strategic skills. There was no way someone like Bulk was working alone, in fact, she recalled something he mentioned earlier: “the others”. She continued to ponder before Applejack interrupted her.

“Don't worry, the arrow's safely tucked away in your bag.” 

Sunset suddenly grabbed her diary from the bag, remembering her message to Twilight from earlier and checked if there was a response. There was a new message. 

“Meet me at the Canterlot High statue. We need to discuss something”. It was settled, then.

“Well?” Applejack asked.

“Twilight’s waiting for us. I think she might have an idea about what's going on here.”

“I hope so. Let’s get going!”

“Wait!” Sunset insisted. “We’re taking him with us.” 

She pointed to the unconscious Bulk.

“What? Why?”

“To interrogate him, obviously.” Sunset grinned.

“But he’s conked out and ain’t getting up anytime soon, or are you seriously suggesting we carry this big lug all the way to school?”

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting.” 

“Oh, gimme a break...” Applejack sighed, tugging on her hat. She and Sunset bent down, grabbed an arm each and lifted Bulk up. 

“Oh, wow. He’s heavier than I thought.” Sunset wheezed.

“Still wanna leave him behind?” 

“Never. I need answers. I’ll drag him across the pavement if I have to.”

With that, the girls slowly towed the big lump, with his feet dragging across the ground, all the way to Canterlot High to meet with Princess Twilight Sparkle in the hopes of uncovering the truth behind these "Stands".
> Part 2: Stands and Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the afternoon and hospital visiting hours were underway. Fluttershy laid in her bed, peacefully enjoying a book on flowers the nurse left her. The nurse thought it might help her relax as Fluttershy seemed constantly agitated over something. At first she didn't have much interest in reading, but her Stand insisted. It didn't speak a word, but it would nudge Fluttershy frequently, urging her to read it. 

It was odd. She obtained it only yesterday, yet her Stand seemed to have a will of it's own and even showed concern for her well being, almost like a guardian angel. After multiple attempts, Fluttershy finally caved in and read the book. It was filled with gorgeous photographs of various different plants and where they grew. 

The nurse was right, it was quite relaxing, as it eased her anxieties away, but not all of them. The events of last night were still playing in the back of her head. She hadn’t heard from Sunset Shimmer all day and was terribly worried about her. Thankfully, Fluttershy’s injuries were healing nicely, the doctor even told her she could leave once they gave her wound one final check, but she decided to stay and wait for her friends to arrive first.

She continued reading her book, losing herself in the imagery as she imagined lazing in a field of flowers, drifting along with the fragrance of soothing, sensual - “SURPRISE!” 

Fluttershy squeaked in terror, holding on to her bed sheets for dear life as her fantasy was destroyed by the piercing sound of a loud party blower.

“What did I JUST say about causing noise in the hospital? You’re disturbing the patients.” Cried a disgruntled doctor. 

“Whoops… guess I got a little excited.” The pink, poofy haired, girl apologised. 

“Honestly, Pinkie. Can’t you control yourself for more than five seconds?” Asked another, white, curly haired, lady.

“Nope.” Pinkie replied, preparing another party popper.

“Yoink!” Yelled the rainbow haired girl as she snagged the popper before Pinkie properly popped it.

“Hey!”

“Too slow, Pinkie.” She affirmed, juggling the popper in her hand. “Hey, where’s Fluttershy, I thought this was her bed?”

“She’s under the duvet.” The prim and proper lady pointed.

The rainbow girl pulled the bed sheet off to reveal Fluttershy, embarrassed and shaken. “Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie.” She greeted, waving meekly.

“What’re you doing under the covers, silly?” Pinkie asked.

“Oh, you know, just taking a quick nap.”

“You can nap later, it’s friendship time.” Pinkie pulled Fluttershy by her arms, lifting her upright.

“What?”

Rarity sighed and attempted to retain a modecum of normalcy. “What she means, is that we’re here to see you. Is your recovery coming along smoothly?”

“Oh, yes. My waist is much better now. I should be able to leave, just as soon as Applejack arrives.”

Rainbow Dash did a quick scan around the room. “Well, what’s taking her so long? And where’s Sunset? Are we the only ones who showed up?”

“Applejack was here with my parents this morning, she said she’d be back, but I haven’t heard from her for a while now.” Fluttershy grew anxious again, after what happened last night, who knew what was keeping her friend.

Rarity reassured her. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

Right on cue, the door opened with a slam. The girls looked on in confusion as they heard Sunset and Applejack wheezing and grunting as they slowly dragged Bulk’s still unconscious body into the room. Without a word, they continued lugging him past various patients' beds, over to the girls on the other side of the room and propped him up on a chair. 

The two of them took a moment to catch their breath. 

“Hey, girls, so how’s your morning been?” Sunset gasped, with sweat rolling down her face. The girls simply stared back, unsure of how to respond. “Hey Fluttershy, how’ve you been doing, that wound healing up?”

“Um… yes. Sunset, are you okay?” She replied.

“I am really tired. Is this seat taken?”

“No.”

“Good.” Sunset collapsed onto the chair and slowly sunk into the cushion.

“Are you okay, Applejack?”

“I’m good. I’m used to heavy lifting.”

“So, are you going to tell us why you dragged Mr. Biceps here, or is he just part of the room’s decor now?” Rarity questioned.

“We should probably wake him up, first.” Applejack suggested.

“And how do you propose we do that?”

Applejack grabbed a glass of water from Fluttershy’s tray and splashed it in Bulk’s face. He awoke, batting his hands around his face like a helpless child, while babbling nonsensically until he fully came to. The girls gathered around him, with Sunset and Applejack being particularly upset. 

“Oh no…” He lamented “I’m having that dream again.” He quickly looked over himself. “At least I have pants on, this time.”

“You mind telling us why you attacked me, Sunset and Fluttershy… twice.” Applejack demanded. 

“I did what now?”

Sunset and Applejack were baffled by such a simplistic and unhelpful answer. They were in no mood for Bulk's shenanigans.

“Last night you assaulted Sunset and Fluttershy with your Stand thingy and then attacked me and Sunset, again, earlier this morning.”

“I did?” 

Applejack and Sunset looked at each other, confused. They glanced over at Fluttershy who simply shrugged. 

Sunset attempted to clear this baffling dillemma. “Bulk, do you know where you’ve been the past couple of days?”

He took a moment to think. “Now that you mention it... no.” 

Sunset covered her face with her hands in frustration while Applejack tugged her hat down. They hit a dead end.

“Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash whispered “Do you know what a Stand is?”

“I think it’s that thing you hang your coat on.”

“Do you think he attacked them with evil coats or something?” Dash sarcastically asked.

“I don’t know, but everyone’s looking at us.”

Dash recoiled in embarrassment only to hear a voice come from behind her. 

“Actually, they’re looking at me.”

Behind them stood Equestria's own, Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, carrying with her a big book of magic. 

“TWILIGHT!” The girls shouted in excitement.

“What did I JUST say about the noise.” Complained the doctor from the other side of the room.

“Sorry…” The girls apologised in unison.

“So, Twilight.” Rarity asked. “What brings you here, from Equestria? Did something happen?”

“Seems like it.” Twilight replied in a serious manner. “Sunset sent me a message, as soon as I saw the word “Stand”, I rushed over as soon as possible.”

“So, you know what's going on?” Sunset urged, desperate for more information.

“I think so. Everything I could find out about Stands, is in this old book from Princess Celestia’s secret library.”

“Secret library? I’ve never heard of any secret library when I was her pupil.”

“Well, it is a secret. She didn’t tell me about it either, but one night, when I was still her student, I found an old room hidden at the back of the Canterlot Library. I was informed that only a handful of ponies were authorised to enter the hidden room, but I was super curious to find out what they were hiding in there, so I snuck in one night and what I found was incredible.” The girls waited with baited breath. “It was filled with tons of old books!”

“Oh.... lame.” Mumbled Rainbow Dash.

Twilight continued her fascinating tale. “It was so thrilling, seeing all those unabridged, unedited, unbelievable tomes and compodiums, untouched for decades, no centuries, even. I was surprised there was enough air in the room with how much dust built up over the centuries. I just darted to the closest book I could find. I was so excited to read about all kinds of secrets that Celestia must be keeping from everypony, I mean why else would she keep it a secret. Although, I didn’t get to read them for very long.” 

Twilight suddenly looked dejected.

“Why?” Sunset asked. “Twilight, what happened?”

“I… inhaled some dust and got caught when I went into a sneezing fit.”

The girls gave Twilight varying levels of condescending looks.

“But, anyway, even though I got caught, Celestia, at least let me keep this book. Apparently the information in all those old books are outdated. The whole room was mostly just an archive. A dusty, dusty archive.”

“So, how’s this dusty book going to help us?” Sunset wondered.

“Just because the information is outdated, doesn't mean it isn't still useful, especially when it comes to ancient forms of magic suddenly making a resurgence. This book has reports dating back to over a thousand years ago. A compendium of various magic theories that are no longer relevant for today's standards of magic, but I did remember seeing something in here with details about strange, ghost like figures that were called Stands.”

“Oh, you mean Burly Heart?” In that moment, Bulk’s Stand appeared before the girls. 

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were impressed and thought it was the coolest thing ever, even if they could barely make out what exactly it was. 

“Good Heavens! What is that beast!?” Rarity, not so much.

“That is a Stand!” Twilight grabbed herself a chair as she explained. “An entirely different way of conjuring magic, allowing you to wield it in it’s most purest and destructive form... depending on the user... Pull up a chair girls, it's story time.”

She opened the book and read aloud the reports:

“In the interest of insuring the public safety of those partaking in these experiments, I have decided to omit the use of names and dates. These experiments were extremely dangerous and most definitely illegal. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be wise to keep a record of these events at all, but the results were simply too fascinating and I refuse to let all my hard work simply vanish.

As is common knowledge, there are three types of Ponies inhabiting Equestria: Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth. However, currently, there is friction between these three factions. Most notably the Unicorns have been deemed by some to have an unfair advantage over the other races. Their power over magic allows them to potentially take over the jobs of Pegasi and Earth Ponies. This seems to give a lot of Unicorns a sense of superiority that the other factions find insufferable. While most Ponies tolerate this behaviour, a small group of us gathered together to discover a way in which we could obtain this magic for ourselves. Personally, at the time, I thought it was nonsense, but as the others argued about how their mastery over the land and skies was far more reliable than unicorn magic, I began to wonder, why?

I proposed the idea that all Ponies were born with magic, but this magic only manifested itself depending on that Ponies talents, which would explain why Pegasi naturally walk on clouds whereas Unicorns needed a specific spell to accomplish the same task. Unicorns themselves were an exception to this rule, they could manipulate magic in any way they pleased so long as they were willing to learn how.

The core of our experiments were built on two simple questions: How do Unicorns manipulate magic and how can we Non-Unicorns use it for ourselves?

In order to figure out how this magic is utilised we needed test subjects. Unfortunately, we couldn't find anypony who was willing so we resorted to other methods. Experimenting on these subjects, we easily deduced that a Unicorn’s distinctive horn was their tool for wielding magic, but what we needed to know was, how? What was so special about it?

After thoroughly examining several subjects we came to the conclusion that the horn wasn't just attached directly to the skull, but extended beyond it as all of our subjects had a sharp, needle like bone that dug into the center of their brain from their horn. The bone was hard as diamond, impossible to move or break with brute force. We examined the skulls of Non-Unicorns to find that this bone was absent. It was only in Unicorns which made it even more probable that this bone could be the key to unlocking our hidden potential. 

Since we couldn’t remove the needle from the skulls we instead created an accurate recreation of it, but to keep its existence a secret we added fletchings to the end and referred to it as the “Unicorn Arrow”. We stabbed the arrow into the brains of Non-Unicorns in an attempt to unlock their hidden magic and after a few failures, we eventually discovered the specific part of the head we needed to stab to reach the exact center point of the brain, where our untapped magic was stored.

The results were nothing like we expected. The excess magic, having no horn to control it, manifested itself as a ghost like apparition. Since these magical entities could stand beside their user we dubbed them “Stands”. These Stands came in various shapes and sizes, from appearing as ghostly ponies, to tools, to weapons. There seemed to be no limit. Even their abilities varied greatly from user to user, however this troubled me.

These Stands had incredible potential, their powers could easily surpass that of a Unicorn’s, possibly even the princesses themselves. However, there abilities were too specific to their user, unlike Unicorn magic which could potentially do anything, Stands with great power only appeared with those who needed it, or wanted it. The others either manifested Stands with powers not suitable for combat or were unable to control their power and were rendered, obsolete. 

The raw power of these Stands could usher in a new era for Equestria, possibly creating a new race of super magic wielders, but I needed more, I needed the power to ensure our dominance, a way to utilise this magic more effectively, not by wielding one specific power, but any power that I desired. I needed the ultimate Stand. I gathered a group of our strongest stand users and used their abilities to find the most powerful force in Equestria, hidden away in the Princesses' Castle. The Elements of Harmony. 

If Stands were made from pure magical energy, then they should be able to utilise the power of the Elements without any issues, but I was horribly wrong. The Stand users absorbed the Element’s powers and their Stand’s evolved, but their powers became unstable, it seemed even Stands could not forcibly use The Elements of Harmony if they were not chosen to. The Elements of Harmony unleashed an immeasurable amount of power, that began consuming everything. 

The raw power of the Elements forced the Stands to evolve at a rate that the user's minds and bodies could not handle. Overwhelmed by blinding light, it felt as if time and space were collapsing around me. This power was beyond comprehension, no mortal being could hope to control it. If it wasn’t for the interference of Princess Celestia and Luna neutralizing the Elements, the distortion would have spread throughout all of Equestria, erasing everything. 

Once the Princesses discovered the Stands, it was all over. The castle lay in ruins and the stand users, unable to control their powers, perished. After the incident, the Princesses declared that all Stand users were forbidden from using their powers, those who abused their powers were dealt with and I currently remain in hiding. It won’t be long before I’m discovered and this whole incident is wiped from public memory, but these reports and the Unicorn Arrow will live on. If you wish to unleash your hidden potential, the arrow has been buried in the arctic wasteland, on the outskirts of Equestria, but I hold no responsibility for whatever disasters fall upon you.”

A hush fell over the room as the girls tried to digest the massive information dump they just received.

“Well?” Twilight asked. “Any questions?”

Pinkie raised her hand. “What’s a Stand?”

Twilight groaned in response.

Sunset couldn’t believe somepony would actually go to such insane measures just to become some all powerful being, then again, she almost did the same thing, but at least she didn’t bring the world to the brink of destruction. 

She turned to Bulk for more information. “This arrow is how you got your Stand, right Bulk?”

“Yeah?” 

“Do you remember anything about who used it on you?”

Bulk sat back in his chair and thought for a moment, twiddling the small tufts of facial hair on his chin. “Well, I was out jogging a couple of days ago when I was jumped by this weird, shadowy dude. He stabbed me with something and next thing I knew I had this ghost thingy. Then the shadow dude started talking about me being his servant or something and I had no idea what was going, so I wasn’t paying attention, then he got mad and then I blacked out.”

Sunset pondered. That shadowy figure could be anyone, or anything, but the thought that something like that was lurking in her town left her uneasy. 

Applejack questioned Bulk next. “Do you know anything about any other Stand users? You said there were others.”

“Well… there’s you.” He pointed out.

“What?” Applejack was dumbfounded. “Not me, dummy. The one’s you were working with.”

Rainbow Dash interjected, jumping up and down, demanding attention. “Wait, Applejack has a Stand? Can I have a Stand? I want a Stand.”

“Not now Dash, the grown-ups are talking.” 

Dash folded her arms and pouted.

“Oh, those guys." Bulk suddenly remembered. "Everything about the past couple of days is kind of a blur, but they're out there. I think there’s five of them, but I don’t know.”

The girls sighed once again, Bulk just wasn’t able to give any concrete answers. Since she went to all the trouble of coming here, Sunset asked Twilight what she thought of their predicament. 

“Well, I think the answer to your problems lie with that Unicorn Arrow.”

“The arrow?” Sunset responded.

“If the past couple of incidents are anything to go by, the only way to fight a Stand user is with a Stand your own. You’ll be at a pretty big disadvantage otherwise and if there are multiple Stand users then you’ll need to get as much help as you can.” 

“But having a Stand would make you a target. I don’t know if I want to put anyone's life at risk, for my sake.” Sunset felt unsure of herself. She didn’t have the best track record when it came to decision making. There were really only five girls she knew she could trust with such a task, but putting them in danger was the last thing she wanted to do. 

She looked over at her friends. They all gave her warm, determined smiles. She didn’t need to ask, they had already decided to take the plunge and fight alongside her, no matter what danger came their way. 

“Are you girls sure about this?” Sunset asked.

“A shadowy monster using a magic arrow to give people supernatural powers?” Dash retorted. “Yeah that sounds like our kinda thing.”

With that settled, Twilight took her leave.

“Wait!” Sunset spoke out. “Aren't you gonna stay and help?”

Twilight stopped for a moment. She didn’t feel like this was her fight. “I wish I could, but Equestria still needs me. The Princess of Friendship can’t just take a leave of absence to fight evil in some other world, when there's so much work to do back home.” 

Sunset was disappointed. 

“You'll be fine, Sunset. I couldn't think of a better person to trust this problem with than you. After all, I hear you’ve become an expert at handling 'magical incidents'.”

Twilight's words helped Sunset psyche herself up. Her town and her friends were under threat by a mysterious new enemy, with even more mysterious, new magic and she wasn't going to allow some supernatural weirdos hurt anyone else. This was no time for moping, she had to be strong. As she grasped the Unicorn Arrow tightly in her hand she assured Twilight that she can get the job done. 

"We got this."
> Part 3: The Demon Stand
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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."
> Part 4: Good Manners and Customs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girls were confronted behind the school by a shady old man, but not just any shady old man, the shadiest guy in the whole town.

“ARGH! SUPER NINTENDO DISCORD!” Screamed Pinkie Pie.

“Cute.” The man grunted. “But, it’s Superintendent Discord.”

“What’s the Superintendent doing at school on a Sunday?” Sunset questioned, folding her arms, suspicious of the man's motives.

“Oh, I just finished a meeting with the Principal.” He explained, brushing her off. “I caught wind of some strange rumours, spreading among the students recently and I just wanted to make sure the kiddies were all safe.”

He took a gander at the arrow, held tightly in Sunset’s hands. “Some of the more recent rumours I’ve been hearing seem to involve a particular “weapon”.” 

His confident, sarcastic demeanour emitted an aura of unpleasantness. The Superintendent was an authority above even the principal herself. He rarely, if ever, interacted with the students, at least not in person. His appearance before the girls was an obvious sign that something was seriously wrong, so they remained cautious.

“Now, ladies. Will you kindly follow me to the Principal’s office, there are some things we need to discuss.” The girls were hesitant, but didn’t have much of a choice, disobeying Discord could result in expulsion if he felt like being particularly cruel.

Their walk to the Principal’s office was awkward and uncomfortable. Discord kept a close eye on them the whole way and no one spoke a word to each other. As they entered the office, the girls stood around the desk as Discord casually slouched into the comfy swivel chair. He took a moment to get comfy before sitting up straight and addressing them formally. 

“So, ladies. What were you doing behind the school, with that thing?” He asked, casually. “And no funny business. I may be old, but I've dealt with enough students in my time to tell when someone is blatantly lying.”

The girls couldn’t tell him about the arrow’s true purpose. There was no telling how he would react. They needed some sort of excuse and hoped that he'd buy it. 

“It’s from the archery club.” Rainbow Dash hastily explained.

Discord was skeptical. “We have an Archery Club?”

“Uh... Yeah! It opened up right around the time we had the Friendship Games.”

“Wasn’t that the event where a student created inter-dimensional portals that nearly caused all of reality to collapse in on itself?”

“She was just having a bad day.”

“Weren’t you girls at the center on that mess?”

“Ye- No!”

“Was that a yes or a no?”

"Um... maybe?"

Discord rubbed his forehead in woe. "Oh dear, it didn't take long for you to crack, did it?"

Applejack irritated by Discord’s indirect prodding and slammed her hand down on the desk in protest. “Look, what’s this all about? We ain’t done nothing wrong.”

“Well, no, but you girls seem to have a knack for getting involved in strange occurrences.” Discord pointed at Sunset. “Especially demon girl over here.” 

She laughed nervously.

“Yeah, but we also saved everyone from those “occurrences”.”

“Yes, yes and that’s all very nice, but we’d much rather prevent these incidents from even happening in the first place, than risk the world ending, again, or heaven forbid, the school board get involved.”

“So, what are you gonna do with us?”

“If you girls aren’t currently involved in any shenanigans, then you’ll be free to go. All you have to do is answer one simple question. Do any of you girls know what a “Stand” is?”

As much as they tried to hide it, the girls were noticeably shocked by such a direct question. There were no audible gasps, but their uncomfortable body language was enough to confirm his suspicions.

Discord released an exasperated sigh. “I’ll take that as a yes, then?”

“How much do you know?” Sunset asked.

“I’m not a liberty to say.” Not the answer Sunset was hoping for. 

Discord leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. “Listen, girls. I don’t want to get my hands dirty. I can let all of you go right now and we can forget this ever happened, but only under one condition: Give me that arrow.”

Sunset backed away from the desk clutching the arrow to her chest. “Why?”

“Obviously because it’s dangerous. It would be much safer if you entrusted it to me.”

“I don’t think I can trust you.”

Discord rose from his chair, standing firm. “That’s a fair point, I guess. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but in the interest of saving time it seems we’ll have to use force.” With a snap of his fingers, the wall behind Discord burst apart as the girls were bombarded by a barrage of dart like bullets. 

The gunfire continued for a few seconds before Discord gave the signal to cease fire. The assailant was using some kind of Stand to fire their bullets, but was obscured by dust and debris. Discord and his colleague expected the girls to be out of commission, but a green light shone through the dust. The light was emanating from a barrier cast by Fluttershy’s Stand, Freesia. 

“Fluttershy!?” Yelled Sunset. “How are you doing that!?”

“I don’t know! I just wanted to protect everyone and Freesia acted on it’s own!”

“Well, whatever you’re doing, don’t stop!” Sunset clapped her hands to grab the attention of the other girls, who were still amazed over the damage the bullets did to the room. 

“Come on, let’s get the heck out of here!” The girls escaped through the door behind them as Freesia maintained its barrier, shielding them.

“Huh... that didn’t go as planned.” Discord mused. 

“Hey!” The assailant aggressively shouted. “No one told me they had Stand powers!”

“Oh, please. They stole your precious arrow, of course they would have Stands by now. You really should have seen this coming.”

“What I should have done is come here on my own. All this planning and sneaking around is just a waste of time.”

“Oh, I highly doubt you’d beat all six of them all by yourself, not with that bird-brain of yours.”

“Will you shut up and chase after them already! They’re escaping! I’m gonna call the other two idiots!”

“No need to shout.”

The assailant rushed off, still in a huff. Discord casually strolled after girls as he muttered. “Tch, teenagers…”

The girls ran through the hallway, hoping to escape through the school entrance, but the door was locked from the other side. They were distressed at first, until they realised they had magic powers. Applejack summoned Gimme a Break, confident it’s kicks could blast the doors wide open. Despite unleashing a powerful, decisive blow, the doors didn’t budge, leaving Applejack recoiling in pain from the impact. 

“Are these doors made of steel or something?” 

Unbeknownst to the girls, on the other side of the door was a figure wearing a familiar hoodie, somehow reinforcing the doors with their own power. Not one to back down, Applejack kicked at the doors, repeatedly. The force of her attacks took their toll on the hooded figure, but they were just as determined to keep the girls locked inside. 
Eventually, Applejack tired out. 

“Okay...” She gasped. “Those doors ain’t budging...”

“They must be using some kind of magic to trap us in the school.” Sunset deduced.

“So, is there a way out or what?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

“If they’re using magic to reinforce the doors, then they’ve probably done the same thing to the rest of the building, too. Which means our only way out is through the wall back in the Principal’s office.”

The girls were uncertain about back-tracking to the office. Possibly facing Discord or any other potential threats on the way seemed too risky, but they didn’t have to think about it for too long, as Discord had already caught up to them. 

“Leaving so soon, ladies.”

“Back off, creep!” Asserted Rainbow Dash. “We’ve got magic powers and we’re not afraid to use them!” She summoned her Stand, Ride on Time, ready for battle.

Discord was impressed by her courageous attitude and humoured her. “Then let’s see these powers of yours. Hit me with your best shot.”

Dash was puzzled for a moment. She didn’t actually know how strong her Stand was, or if Discord could even see it. “Wait a minute... I’m not so sure if I should attack you, even if you totally deserve it for trapping us.”

“But, you were so sure of yourself a moment ago. What happened to all that determination? You’re not afraid, are you?”

“Never!” Dash replied, offended by the very notion that she could be afraid of someone like Discord. 

“Well, come at me, then!”

“Fine! You asked for this!” Dash directed her Stand to attack, without even thinking about how. Ride on Time spreads its wings, its feathers sharpened like razor blades and in a second it sliced through the air and charged toward Discord as fast as lightning. The decisive sound of a blade ripping through flesh could be heard and a second later, Discord’s head slid off his neck and plopped onto the ground.

The girls screamed in terror. 

“WHAT THE HECK, RAINBOW DASH!?” Applejack cried. “YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DECAPITATE HIM!”

Rainbow Dash was just as shocked as everyone else. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO! HE TOLD ME TO ATTACK HIM, SO I DID!”

“HOW COULD YOU CONFUSE HITTING WITH CUTTING HIS FREAKIN’ HEAD OFF!”

“I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW I COULD CUT HIS FREAKIN’ HEAD OFF!”

“MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!”

“WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE ACTED BEFORE I THOUGHT!”

“Would you girls be quiet!? My body can't hear me over all the screaming!”

The girls fell silent immediately. They recognised the voice, but there was no way it could be him, but it was. Discord’s head looked up at them reluctantly. “Thank you, now just give me a moment, would you ladies?” 

He rolled himself slightly toward his body, calling out to it. His body had its arms folded, tapping its foot impatiently, as if it was waiting for Discord’s orders.

Neither Discord’s head nor neck showed any signs of bleeding and his body effortlessly picked him up and firmly reattached him. Discord was back in one piece again. “Ah, that’s much better, although I’ll have to have a word with the janitor later. That floor is filthy.”

Discord noticed the girls hadn’t said a word to him. It seemed his decapitation trick worked a little too well. “Oh, please, girls. Did you really think I’d try and fight you without Stand powers of my own? What do you think I am, an idiot?”

Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief as Sunset confronted Discord. “Your Stand did that?”

“Indeed, Good Manners and Customs as I like to call it. It allows me to survive any injury, no matter how ridiculously life threatening it may be. Pretty neat, huh?”

“So, it uses rapid cell regeneration to heal wounds?”

“Uh, sure, let’s go with that.” Discord’s hand suddenly began melting, as if it were liquid before reforming into the shape of a sledge-hammer. “Sorry about this, ladies, but we really do need you out of the way. I promise I won’t try that hard to incapacitate you.” 

Discord attempted to swing his hammer arm down on Sunset, only to be thwarted by Freesia’s barrier once again. “Again, with the barrier...”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Sunset sighed, giving her a pat on the back. “We should be safe in here.”

“Oh, really?” Discord transformed his other hand into a hammer and started pounding on the barrier, relentlessly. While the barrier itself never gave in, Fluttershy looked distressed. 

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” Rarity asked, noticing her pain.

“It’s, starting to hurt.” She answered. “Every time he hits Freesia's barrier, there's a rush of pain in my head. It’s like a migraine.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t stand to see Fluttershy suffering, just to protect her friends. “I’ll get him off your back.” 

She ordered Ride on Time to fly at Discord, but as they were still inside the barrier, her Stand crashed right into it. The collision caused a jolting pain in Dash’s face as her Stand seemed to be out of commission. 

Discord continued his assault as he explained. “No Stand is invincible, girls. I wonder how long Fluttershy can keep this up before she collapses from the pain.”

The girls needed a plan. If only there was a way for them to attack Discord and defend themselves at the same time. It was then that Rarity’s Stand, Lady Fascination, alerted her to something. The girls weren’t the only things inside the barrier. There was also the trophy case and the old flagpole, near the front entrance. Rarity didn’t know why her Stand was so fixated on them, but she brought it over to see what would happen.

Lady Fascination levitated the pole and used it to break the glass. It gathered up the trophies and melted them all down, including the wooden frames. The liquefied materials were then mixed together and forged into a sturdy, golden shield with a well furnished, wooden handle. Her Stand repeated this process with the flagpole, transforming it into a sword.

Rarity was thrilled from having figured out her Stand’s powers, although, like Freesia, Lady Fascination simply acted on it’s own. Her Stand equipped it’s weapons as she declared. “Lower your barrier Fluttershy, we’ll take it from here.”

“Where’d you get those sweet weapons?” Dash asked in excitement.

“Oh, I just made them using a few materials lying around.”

Dash scanned the area to see where Rarity could have found such materials, discovering the broken trophy case. “Hey! Did you use the sports team’s trophies to make those?!”

“I’ll put them back later, darling, helping Fluttershy is far more important.”

The girls tried escorting the weakened Fluttershy, away, but with her barrier gone, Discord wasted no time in attempting to strike them. Lady Fascination swooped in with its shield and stopped Discord’s attack immediately. 

The shield was as tough as Freesia’s barrier and was left unscathed. Discord was impressed with Rarity’s creativity and the sturdiness of Lady Fascination’s creation. He was about to start taunting again, but the moment he left himself open, Lady raised its sword and sliced Discord in half. 

Having been vertically bisected, Discord’s body lost balance and the two halves fell apart from each other. Just like with his head, there was no blood, bones or any view of the inside of his body. Being chopped in half was hardly a concern to him. 

Rarity felt slightly annoyed. After all the trouble she went through to make those weapons, her attack was shrugged off like it was nothing. Her Stand continued to slice Discord into smaller and smaller pieces until he was nothing, but a pile of scraps. Unfortunately, being cut into tiny pieces didn’t faze Discord either, as the pieces liquefied and reassembled themselves, bringing Discord back, good as new. 

“That’s a shame, Rarity. And here I thought you’d be a cut above the rest.” Discord chuckled at his own pun that nobody else found funny. “Anyone else want to take a shot, or can I finish this now?”

“I bet Sunset’s Stand can beat you!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed.

“Yeah, Sunset’s an expert at magic, I bet her Stand is way more powerful than ours!” Applejack added.

“Wait, what?” Sunset was confused at their sudden confidence. If anything, her Stand was the weakest of the group, not that her friends were aware of that yet. 

Discord was intrigued. “Oh? Well then, Miss Shimmer, you must show me this power.”

“Um, I really can’t.”

Against Sunset’s wishes, the girls continued to spur her on. 

“You got this Sunset!”

“Show ‘em that magic of yours!”

“Put that boorish brute in his place!”

“Um, do your best…”

“Girls, please, I’m serious!” Sunset pleaded, but her friends refused to listen. Their faith in Sunset could never be broken by mere words. Perhaps she was being too hard on herself, maybe she just hadn’t discovered her true powers yet, maybe now was her time to shine. She faced Discord, summoned her Stand and without hesitation, attacked.

Sunset’s Stand sent a punch right into Discord’s gut, causing him to reel back in pain before immediately recovering. “Huh? Was that it?”

“Um, yeah, that’s it.”

“Oh, that’s rather dull.” Discord shrugged off his disappointment and raises his hammer arm. “Oh well, makes my job easier.” 

Before he could land the finishing blow, he was struck in the face, by a soft, doughy object that dropped to the floor. “Is that a doughnut?”

He looked to his side to find Pinkie, holding her bag of doughnuts in one hand and clutching a doughnut in the other. Discord was about to ask why she thought throwing a doughnut at him would help in this situation, but was interrupted by another doughnut in his face. 

“What are you doing?” Discord asked.

“Saving my friend!” Yelled Pinkie, throwing another doughnut in Discord’s face. 

“Will you stop that!” He ordered, becoming agitated. 

Pinkie responded with yet another doughnut to the face. What were once worried murmurs had turned into stifled giggling, which only irritated Discord further. He walked over to Pinkie, with the intent to deal with her first, but her Stand, Birthday Train, came running down the hallway and climbed its way up onto her shoulder.

Pinkie stuck out her hand, signalling Discord to cease his approach. Not to be rude, Discord waited patiently, as Pinkie's Stand whispered into her ear.

After finishing their conversation, Sunset asked them: “Pinkie, what are you even doing?”

“Oh, I just asked Mini Me to run around the school to find a way for us to escape!”

“Did she find anything?”

“Oh, she found something alright.”

“An exit?”

“Nope, something better!”

“Something to beat Discord with?”

“You’re getting warmer.”

“Pinkie, could you just tell us?”

“Alright, but you better hold onto your pants!” Pinkie psyched herself up to deliver the big news. “She found out the secret to Discord’s Stand!”

Discord brushed off Pinkie’s claims as nonsense. “You’re bluffing, there’s no way you’d have the attention span to figure that out.”

Pinkie’s Stand was insulted. “Yeah, well at least my user isn’t a big, smelly coward!” She stuck her tongue out in protest.

“Mini Me!” Pinkie scolded. "You can’t say that, it’s not his fault he smells.”

Sunset was also losing her patience, but Discord was seconds away from blowing a gasket. “Pinkie, will you just tell us!”

“Alright, alright. The secret’s in the Principal’s office. Follow us, we’ll show you.”

The girls didn’t understand what she meant, but Discord was noticeably flustered and made a mad dash toward Pinkie, who ran away from him, until she was backed into a wall. 
“Back off, man!” Pinkie yelled, striking a menacing pose. “Or I’ll show you my Stand’s true power!”

Discord, once again, called Pinkie’s bluff. “Oh, yeah, try me! What could that tiny little pink pony possibly do?”

“Alright, but you'll have no one to blame but yourself.” Pinkie raised up her hands as she prepared to unveil the full, terrifying might of her Stand's powers. 

“ZA WARUDO! TOKI WO TOMARE!”

Everyone was frozen.

In embarrassment. 

Nobody understood what Pinkie just screamed, or what she was even trying to accomplish with her bizarre posing. 

“Um... wrry?”

Discord had enough of Pinkie’s childish antics and swiftly slammed his hammer fist into her face, crushing it into the wall behind her. The girls were petrified as they had just witnessed their friend’s head, seemingly smashed like a grape. Even Discord was surprised by his own strength. “Oh dear. I hope that doesn’t leave a mess.”

However, something was amiss. There was no blood, nor any sounds of bones being crushed, also Pinkie’s arms were still moving as if she were still conscious, she even gave a thumbs up to her friends. 

Discord backed away, baffled by this abnormal behaviour. Pinkie pushed her head out of the hole, left by the impact. It was as flat as a pancake, but she looked completely unharmed, she even had a goofy grin on her face. She put her thumb in her mouth and blew until her head popped back into shape again. 

“Well, that was certainly a crushing defeat.” Pinkie laughed. Her body completely recovered from Discord’s attack, but that didn’t discourage him. Discord slammed his hammer arm into her stomach, but her body simply folded around it, stretching like taffy.

“What!?” He cried.

“Oh no! He’s making me bend to his whim!” Pinkie yelled, before laughing again.

“Stop it!” Sadly, for Discord, no matter how much he beat Pinkie Pie down, her body just absorbed his blows like some kind of spongy material.

“This is ridiculous! Your Stand must have a weakness! I demand to know how your Stand works!”

Pinkie halted her shenanigans and crossed her arms. “That’s rich. Why should I tell you anything, when you lied about your Stand.”

The girls were outraged by this news, attacking them was one thing, but Discord lying about his Stand powers was just disrespectful.

Applejack was especially insulted and quickly developed a simple plan. “Sunset! We’ll keep the liar busy, you go investigate the Principal’s office!”

Sunset followed Applejack’s orders and rushed down the hallway. Discord attempted to give chase, but was blocked by Freesia’s barrier as Fluttershy seemed to have regained some energy.

Using her Stand to kick the office door open, Sunset expected the worse, but it seemed luck was finally on her side. Standing in the ruins of the Principal’s office, was an anxious looking Discord. Although he tried to runaway, Sunset’s Stand quickly flew behind him and held his arms behind his back, preventing his escape. Discord pleaded with Sunset, hoping she might let him go if he appeared more defenseless, but she was more interested in working out how exactly Discord’s Stand worked.

She called Applejack on her cell phone to check in with her friends. 

“Sunset? Did you find anything?”

“Yeah, how’s Good Manner’s?”

“My manners are fine, although Granny always seems to catch me eating with my mouth open.”

“What? No, I mean Discord’s Stand.”

“Oh! Well, now that you mention it, he was going in hard against Pinkie Pie, but now’s he’s stopped moving. He’s looking kinda scared too. Did you do something?”

“I guess I did. Now I see what’s going on.” Sunset glared at Discord, preparing to give him a stern talking to. “Your Stand doesn’t make you invincible, it’s just an illusion. It creates a copy of the user to make them appear invincible. It masquerades as the user and does all their dirty work while the real you hides away somewhere safe.” 

Sunset, enraged by such trickery, pointed her finger dramatically. “You’re nothing but a coward! You hide, you cheat, you lie and worst of all, you nearly killed my friends!” 

Discord desperately pleaded for forgiveness. “I’m truly sorry, okay? I never intended to kill anyone! I just wanted to rough you up a bit, that's all! Please forgive me!"

"Why should I?"

"Hasn’t our school always preached about friendship and forgiveness? You wouldn't go against those teachings, would you? I mean, your friends seem to agree with them, they forgave you of all people.” 

His last comment struck a nerve. Sunset didn't want to waste anymore time on the embarrassing old fool. Intentional or not, she won’t let anyone use the events of her past as leverage against her, especially not someone as dishonest as Discord.

Sunset calmly raised her phone to speak with Applejack. 

“Um, you alright, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, having overheard their conversation. 

“I’m fine, it’s over, but just to be safe, you should give his Stand a sound beating.”

“Can do!”

Ignoring Discord’s pleas, Gimme a Break relentlessly struck Good Manners with a flurry of kicks. Although she didn’t say anything, Sunset had already theorised that if Discord himself was neutralised, his Stand wouldn't be able to function properly, preventing it from absorbing damage. Meaning the real Discord could now feel the sting of a hundred kicks drilling into his body, just like his Stand. 

The final kick launched Good Manners towards the school’s front doors and collided with such force, that the hooded figure, silently locking them in from the outside, couldn’t hold it back. As Discord’s Stand landed outside, the hooded figure abandoned their post and ran away. Just like his Stand, Discord himself was also flung through the hole in the office wall, landing outside the school. 

As his Stand melted away, Discord flew quite a distance. Sunset was about to give chase when another Stand suddenly blocked her path. It appeared similar to her own, although less of a demon and more of a wicked sorceress, complete with robes. 

“Looks like we underestimated you and your friends.” 

Sunset turned to identify the Stand’s user. A young woman around the same age as the rest of the students, wearing a Crystal Prep uniform stood before her. Her most distinguishing feature was her purple hair with blue highlights. 

“Who are you?” Sunset demanded. “Why are you attacking us? Why do you have a Stand? What are you trying to accomplish?”

“Whoa, calm down. I’m don’t have permission to answer any of those questions.”

“At least tell me your name.”

“Why bother when I’m about to wipe you out.” The girl directed her Stand as Sunset braced herself. “Go! Diva!” Her Stand flew in for a punch, Sunset was too slow on the draw to defend with her Stand and was struck in the face. 

The punch caused Sunset to stumble back, but that's all it accomplished. It didn't feel as devastating as she thought it would, in fact, Diva was pretty lame. 

“That wasn’t very impressive.” Sunset expressed with the utmost sincerity.

“Oh yeah! Like your Stand is any better!” The girl reacted, suddenly getting defensive. “Come, on! Let’s see which of our Stands is faster!” 

“Um... okay?” Sunset wasn’t sure what the point of this activity was, but she played along. The two Stands stood opposed to each other and readied themselves for fisticuffs. The Stands barraged each other with a flare of fists only to stop after about thirty seconds as the girls realised bashing their fists together at full force, repeatedly was a pointless and painful endeavor.

While the girl was angered by Sunset's resistance, Sunset found the whole situation amusing.

“What’s so funny?” The girl yelled.

“You’re Stand is just as weak as mine!” Sunset chuckled.

“Stop laughing!”

“Shut up, Starlight! The mission’s over.” A gruff, but feminine voice called out to the girl. Wearing a brown jacket and pants. She had white hair and a mopey expression on her face. 

“You, shut up, Gilda! I can handle this!”

“Really? What about them?” She pointed to Sunset’s friends, as all six of them regrouped. 

“Well, you could help.”

“No thanks. This was Discord’s mission, but he's already gone and screwed it all up. I ain't sticking around here anymore.”

“What about that girl in the garish hoodie?”

“Suri? She did the smart thing and left already. You should, too.”

“And Lightning?”

“She didn’t even show up! She’s practicing for try outs or something. Wish I came up with that excuse.”

“Fine! I’ll just beat them on my own! I know I can do it! I just need to figure out what Diva can do!”

“Not this again...” Gilda sighed, having heard this a million times already. She walked over to Starlight and tapped her on the shoulder. The instant she turned around, Gilda landed a single, decisive jab to her stomach, knocking her out cold. Gilda caught Starlight as she fell, hoisting her over her shoulders, ready to take her home.

“Gilda! Wait!” Cried out Rainbow Dash.

Gilda turned around and her sour expression suddenly changed to a smile. “Oh, hey Dash! I haven’t seen you in while. Still hanging out with these dweebs?”

Dash laughed off Gilda’s joke. “Yeah, so, how’s Crystal Prep?”

“Meh, school’s, school, no matter what name you give it.”

“Oh, right. Hey, I don’t suppose you could tell us anything about all these Stand users, could you?”

“Love to, but I can’t, I gotta deal with this bonehead.” 

Rainbow Dash and the girls sighed in disappointment, but Gilda didn't leave without giving them something. A warning. “I’ll tell you this much: If you keep snooping around in other Stand user's business, don’t blame me if you end up dead.” 

With that morbid message, Gilda took her leave.

The girls stood around awkwardly, their only lead was gone and even though they’ve learned the identities of some of the Stand users, they hadn’t learned anything about their goals or who they were working for, if anyone at all. Perhaps, what they needed was some down time, to relax and process what’s happened so far, at least that’s what Pinkie felt.

“So, anyone wanna get some milkshakes?”

“After that ordeal, I think some refreshing milkshakes are just what we need.” Replied Rarity.

The girls agreed, but as they left, Sunset thought to herself. Her friends abilities were exceptional, yet her own powers were completely underwhelming. At the very least, she was able to come up with a name for her Stand. 

“I think I’ll call you: Sky Should Be High, because we should be way better than this...”
> Part 5-1: Rift in the Clouds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dealing with the ordeal that was Discord and his cohorts, the girls relaxed at Sugarcube Cafe with some cold, refreshing milkshakes. Strangely, none of them felt like talking about the events that had just transpired, they were far too exhausted and desperately required a temporary return to normalcy. This proved to be rather difficult when Pinkie’s Stand, Birthday Train, was stuffing it’s face with cake, which to the onlooking customers, appeared as if Pinkie was eating her cake without physically touching it.

“Pinkie.” Sunset whispered. “Will you put her away, people are staring.”

“Yeah, yeah, in a minute...” She answered, preoccupied with her world record attempt at keeping a straw balanced across her nose. 

Sunset sighed, as Sky Should Be High, lifted Birthday Train by the tail, dragging it away from the cake, causing a sudden jolt of pain in Pinkie’s backside which forced her to leap out of her chair, disrupting the delicate balance of the straw on her nose. She stared at it, heartbroken that her efforts were all for naught. “No! Just a few more seconds and I would have had it!”

Pinkie slumped back into her chair, her face crashing into her cake, lamenting over the record that almost was. 

With Pinkie finished with her dramatics, Rarity felt it was time to address their current situation. “Well then, any plans on what we should do next?”

Sunset shrugged.

“You can’t just shrug like that." Applejack asserted. "We need to find where these guys are hiding, march right up to them and teach them a lesson for attacking us and disturbing the peace in our town!”

“I’d love to, but we don’t even know where they’re hiding or what they’re even planning.”

“Then, how do we fight them?”

“Gilda made it clear that they aren’t interested in telling us anything, but still see us as obstacles. I think, for now, we just keep our eyes peeled and wait for them to make a move.”

“I don’t really like the idea of waiting around to be attacked like a barrel of apples.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “You mean, “barrel of fish”.”

“I know what I said.”

“Still...” Dash continued, getting back on topic. “Why would Gilda and Discord work together and with whoever these other guys are? They have nothing in common.” 

Sunset sipped her drink in thought. “That is strange... makes me wonder if someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes.”

“You mean like some kind of secret boss? Any idea who it might be?”

She took another slow sip, pondering Dash’s question. 

“Nope.”

It wasn’t the most reassuring answer Sunset could have given, with the girl’s agitated expressions forcing her to elaborate a little. “Well, if they’re really planning something, then they’ll have to act on it sooner or later. If we can catch them and thwart their plans in the moment, eventually whoever’s in charge will have to reveal themselves, to try and stop us, or at the very least reveal their motive. It’s not a great plan, but it’s all we've got, other than taking random shots in the dark.”

"You really think we can just "thwart" their plans like that? You make this all sound easy." Applejack questioned.

"As long as we stick together, everything should be fine. We beat Discord, right?"

"I guess..."

“So, just sit back and wait for something to happen?” Dash asked. 

“Yep.”

“Fine with me, gives me more time to catch up on my sleep.”

“Didn’t you have running practice or something to do this afternoon?” Applejack asked, calling her out on her laziness.

“Nah, it was probably cancelled after the school got wrecked this morning.”

Not a moment after she made her assumption, Dash received a call on her cell phone from her coach, Spitfire.

“Sup.” She answered, obliviously.

“Dash! Where the heck are you!? Training started thirty minutes ago! Are you playing hookie, again!?” 

“N-no, ma’am, coach, sir! I just assumed we weren’t doing it today, what with all the commotion at the school. I thought you might give us a break, for once.”

“That’s your excuse!? I sent text messages to other trainees! The Crystal Prep coach is letting us practice at their school this week! Now get your butt over here, ASAP!”

“Y-yes, coach, sir, ma’am, sir! Welp, guess I gotta get going, Fluttershy, cover for my order will you!”

“But, I..”

“Okay, thanks, gotta go, or the coach’ll kill me! Bye!”

“O-okay...”

With that settled, Rainbow Dash kicked into high gear and bolted as fast as she could to Crystal Prep Academy.

After a long jog, she finally arrived, where Coach Spitfire and her fellow trainees from the sport’s club had gathered on the field, with practice already in full swing. There were only a handful of students in the club, as Spitfire tolerated only those who took their training seriously. 

Dash stumbled onto the field, gasping desperately after running what felt like a marathon. 

Spitfire gave her a bitter glare. “Finally decided to show up, did you?” She stated, examining her watch. “You’re almost an hour late, practice will be over soon. I should kick you out of the club for such blatant procrastination.”

“N... no... please don’t...” Dash wheezed.

“Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

“Because... I ran... three miles... just to get here...”

“Huh. I suppose that’s a little impressive. I guess I can let you off for now, since we don’t usually reschedule training on such short notice.”

“Thank.... you...”

“There’s some water by the bench, take a breather, but I want you doing laps around that field in five minutes, got it?”

“O... kay...”

Rainbow Dash sluggishly hobbled over to the bench and collapsed, still trying to catch her breath. After wiping away her sweat and taking a big swig of water she was slowly starting to recover, at the very least she had the energy to sit up. After finishing her own training, a fellow member of the sport’s club took a seat next to Dash for a quick break. 

“Hey, Dash, you actually made it!” She congratulated.

“Are you kidding? I’ve done more running in the past thirty minutes than you've done all day, Fleetfoot.”

“You’re just lucky the coach has a soft spot for you, or you’d be kicked out of the club in record time.”

Dash grumbled to herself.

“Speaking of records...” Fleetfoot continued. “That Crystal Prep student is getting dangerously close to breaking your best, recorded times.”

“What? Who?”

“Her.” Fleetfoot pointed to a girl wearing a Crystal Prep jumpsuit, with turquoise skin and amber hair, stretching on the track. 

“Who’s that?”

“Her name’s Lightning Dust, or the Golden Wind as she’s been called recently.”

“Why? She like beans a little too much or something?”

“Ew, no. It’s because, when she runs, you can almost feel the wind blow right past you.”

"Really..."

"And her hair looks golden, too."

"I gathered."

Dash was unimpressed by this so-called, “Golden Wind”, she sounded more like a load of hot-air. She glanced over at Lightning, who continued her exercises until she noticed Dash’s glaring. The two made eye-contact, only for Lightning to brush her off with a smug grin. Dash could feel it in her gut. The churning, sickening feeling of meeting someone more arrogant than herself, she could tell immediately, that Lightning was going to be a thoroughly, unpleasant person to put up with.

It was at this point, Rainbow Dash formulated a plan to put that cocky show-off in her place. It was simple, she’d use Ride on Time, to quickly drop a cup of water right on her head, that would show her who’s boss. She grabbed a cup and using her Stand she quickly and stealthily flew it over her head. The cup fell directly above her, it looked to be a direct hit, but at the very last moment, the cup swerved to the right and fell next to her, without Lightning even noticing. 

Dash was puzzled, but that didn’t deter her efforts. “Must of been the wind or something, I guess this next one will have to be a little more direct.” 

She filled another cup, this time Ride on Time flew directly at Lightning, hoping to swerve around to throw the water in her face, but as soon as it got close, a sudden gust of wind blew in from behind her. The wind’s strength sent Ride on Time spiraling over to Rainbow Dash, the cup of water flying right into her face, knocking her off the bench as she flailed helplessly.

“Yo, Dash. You alright?” Fleetfloot asked, looking down at Rainbow Dash, whose face skirted the line between bewilderment and rage.

“Oh, I will be...” Dash rolled up her sleeves, raring for a fight. She marched right over to Lightning who paid her no mind, much to Dash’s chagrin. “You gotta problem?”

Lightning continued her exercises, replying with a simple: “No.”

“Oh, I think you have a problem.”

Lightning turned around to face Dash, only to deliver an insult. “You’re the only one with the problem, Rainbow Trash.”

Rainbow Dash was appalled by such blatant contempt and right to her face, too, but this only strengthened her resolve, now it was personal. “That’s it! Race me! Right here! Right now!”

“Aren't you short tempered, but sorry, I’d rather not stoop to your level."

“Bet you’re just scared.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I know you've been trying to break my records, but you always fall short, don't you? And now that the real thing is challenging you directly, right in front of everyone, you're too scared to do it.”

“I'm not scared of you.” Lightning asserted.

Rainbow Dash could barely contain her smugness. Lightning’s response was exactly what she expected, only someone with great pride in their skills would even attempt to break her records. Trying to act cool about it only further proved Lightning's insecurities. Calling her a coward was the perfect way to get her to accept Dash’s challenge. 

“If you’re not scared, then prove it! Race me!”

Lightning Dust clearly looked flustered from the constant badgering and quickly agreed to Rainbow Dash’s challenge.

First to run one lap around the track was the winner. As the two of them readied themselves at the start-line, Coach Spitfire set her stopwatch. Normally she would berate Rainbow Dash for letting her overconfidence get the better of her, again, but in this instance she decided to referee their race. Anything to get Dash to actually try at practice.

“Alright, you two. I want a good, clean, race. That means no name calling, Dash.” Rainbow Dash brushed her off, as if she’d do such a thing. “On your marks! Get set! GO!”

The girls rocketed out of the start line at full speed, with only one lap, neither of them could afford to hold back for even a moment. The two of them were neck and neck for a short while, but it wasn’t long before Lightning started to slowly trail behind. As the gap between them widened, Dash couldn’t help but sneak in a cheeky taunt. “Hey, Lightning, you’re name really suits you, because I’m about to make you eat my dust!” 

For reasons unbeknownst to Dash, Lightning detested anyone making fun of her name, especially when she was concentrating on a race. She originally planned on beating Dash fairly and if she were to lose, she’d suck it up and accept it, but Dash’s needless insult made her snap. A sudden gust of wind blew from behind her and the resulting tailwind gave her the speed boost she needed to not only catch up to Dash, but completely bypass her.

The wind caught Dash off guard. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance, not that it mattered, as Lightning has already crossed the finish line. 

“We have a winner!” Cheered Spitfire, as the other students congratulated Lightning on her win. “See, Dash! This is what happens when you don't skip out on training! You don't fall behind!” 

Rainbow Dash was livid, not just because she lost, but because of how she lost. No one else could see it, but she could. 

“The wind.” She mumbled. “That has to be it, there’s no other way she could have caught up to me like that, so quickly.”

Rainbow Dash called out Lightning, with a bold accusation. “Lightning! You cheated!” 

The students gasped in shock. They all knew Dash hated losing, but accusing someone of cheating was a new low. Dash would need some decisive evidence to back up such a horrendous claim. 

Lightning was offended by her outlandish accusation. “Me!? Cheat!? That sounds like the desperate cry of a sore loser, Rainbow Trash.”

“But, you did! You used the wind, somehow...”

“W-what!? That’s preposterous!” Lightning stumbled in her speech slightly, but quickly regained her composure. “I would never cheat in a race!”

“There’s no way anyone could overtake me that fast!”

“Yeah, it’s called a second wind!”

“No, you used the wind, literally! You shot right past me like a freakin’ rocket!”

“Maybe, I’m just faster than you! I did nearly break all your records!”

“You can’t just go from nearly breaking my records to suddenly being twice as fast as me! Unless you cheated!”

"I don’t cheat! Even if I did, how would you plan on proving such a ridiculous claim? If the wind blowing behind me really did make me faster then you shouldn't you have been running faster as well?”

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. She didn’t feel any wind blowing behind her, only from her side when Lightning passed by. She had a hunch earlier, but Lightning’s sudden nervousness and hostility cleared away her doubts. There was no way those gusts of wind from earlier were coincidental, Lightning had to be doing it on purpose and the only way she could be pulling those stunts was by using magic, or possibly, a Stand. 

Unfortunately, not only did she not see Lightning’s Stand at all during the race, but even if she did, she would be the only one who could see it, thus making it impossible to prove that Lightning cheated, which only infuriated Rainbow Dash further.

Lightning proceeded to rub salt in Dash’s wound. “You can’t prove it, can you?”

Dash roared in exasperation, angered that she couldn’t do anything to prove she was right. 

“Forget this, I’m going home.” She cried, storming off. 

No one else said a word. Although, the whole situation seemed strange to the rest of the students. Dash didn’t usually get this emotional whenever she lost. However, Lightning Dust wasn’t quite satisfied yet, something still peaked her curiosity.

Dash sulked all the way home, giving attitude to anyone who dared cross her path. Something still felt off, however. She could still feel a breeze blowing against her every few minutes, even though it wasn’t windy and no one else seemed to notice. She felt like she was being watched and got home as quickly as possible. She had enough of mysterious winds and bizarre powers for one day.

Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the day moping in her room. She didn’t speak to anyone, not even her friends, she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Luckily, there were no further incidents with Stand users for the rest of the day, but there was always tomorrow.

Monday morning, the start of a new school week. Normally a miserable time for Rainbow Dash, but after dragging herself out of bed, washing herself and eating a hearty breakfast, she felt reinvigorated and ready for a new day. She barely even remembered why she was so irritated yesterday and began her journey to school with a spring in her step. 

Then it poured with rain.

It didn’t look cloudy when Dash woke up, but the moment she stepped outside, the storm clouds gathered, with a blistering downpour. Dash had no choice but to run as swiftly as she could to school to avoid the rain. Once she arrived at school, she barged through the entrance, completely soaked. Her friends were at their lockers gathering the equipment they needed for their classes as Dash treaded toward her locker, leaving a trail of water in her path. 

She dried herself off with her sports towel. “Man, crazy weather we had this morning, right?” She asked her friends.

“I guess it’s a little warmer than usual for this time of year.” Fluttershy replied.

“What? No. I meant the rainstorm outside.”

“Rain?” Fluttershy looked up at the skylight in the hallway, confused as there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

“What!? But they were right there!”

“Where?”

“There!”

“.......where?”

“But, I thought...”

Suddenly, a loud, exuberant laugh echoed throughout the halls of Canterlot High. A girl in a star printed cape and matching wizard hat strolled up to Rainbow Dash. 

“Well, well, Rainbow Dash. I knew you liked to run, but you should look into getting some deodorant for that nasty sweat problem of yours.”

“Shut up, Trixie.”

Trixie gasped in offense. “How rude! I was just making a harmless, little observation. You probably just forgot to take your clothes off when you showered this morning.”

“Can you go ruin someone else’s day?”

“Hmph, well, I know someone who isn’t getting invited to Trixie's magic show after school.”

“No one cares about your dumb magic show!”

“Ooh, a magic show!” Rarity reacted. “I’d love to go, but I have a project that I must work on, but I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other students who will be interested.”

“Rarity!” Dash whined.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash. Did you accidentally shower with your clothes on again?”

“ARRGH!” Dash yelled in frustration. “Forget about the shower and the clothes and the Trixie! Can we talk about the magical disappearing rain instead!? I think that might be more important!”

Sunset Shimmer, overhearing their conversation, chimed in with her own thoughts. “That weird magic rain was probably caused by a Stand user.” She explained, gathering the remainder of her equipment.

“A what?”

“A Stand user? The guys we fought yesterday?”

“Oh... OH! Right! And I bet I know who it was, too! It’s a good thing I got gym class first!” With her soul brimming with determination, she stormed off leaving the rest of the girls puzzled as to who she was even talking about.
> Part 5-2: Rift in the Clouds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was in the changing room, putting on her gym clothes. She was focused, more focused than she'd ever been, so focused in fact that she didn’t even realise that she was already ten minutes late to class. She hurried outside only to find the field completely empty. 

“Wait, where is everyone?” 

“They’re gone, Rainbow Trash.” Declared a familiar voice.

“Lightning Dust! Where are my classmates?”

“I just told you, they’re gone.”

“What did you do to them!?”

“Nothing, everyone’s at Crystal Prep again, or did you not notice the construction equipment spread all over the field?”

Dash examined the area. A handful of workers, a road roller, and tools were scattered across the field, all needed to rebuild the back wall of the Principle’s office.

“Oh... well, why are you here?”

“When I realised you didn’t turn up to gym class, I had an inkling that you’d be back here, alone and confused.”

Dash was angered by her insulting attitude, but she wasn’t backing down, in fact, she had an ace up her sleeve. 

“Y’know, I’m actually glad you came all the way down here, just to see me, because now I can prove you cheated yesterday!”

“Are you still mad about that? You can’t prove anything, Trash. Just get over it.”

“Never! I know exactly how you did it!”

Lightning grew tired of Dash’s constant badgering, but she humoured her, allowing Dash to spout whatever dumb conclusions she came to, so she could dismiss them and move on. “Fine, what’s this proof, then?”

“Simple. The fact that you’re even here right now.”

“What?”

“It took me thirty minutes to run from the cafe down the road to Crystal Prep yesterday, and it wasn’t easy, and yet, you somehow managed to cover that same distance in about ten minutes and you don’t even look tired.”

Lightning suddenly looked agitated. “Th-that proves nothing, I just left Crystal Prep an hour before coming here.”

“But you just said, the only reason you’re here was because you didn’t see me at gym class. Which means class must have already started before you even left, which was around ten minutes ago.”

Lightning was shocked at Dash’s deductive skills, she could be surprisingly vigilant when she wanted to be, but Lightning still had one more counter argument to play, however right before she could present it, Dash retorted.

“Next you’re going to say: 'You still can't prove how I cheated, Rainbow Trash!'”

“You still can't prove how I cheated, Rainbow Trash!” Without even realising, Lightning parroted back exactly what Rainbow Dash predicted she would say. “What!? How did you do that!?”

“Because, I’m already one step ahead of you! The tool you used to cheat on our race, was your Stand!”

Lightning was completely caught off guard by Dash’s accusation. “Stand!? What the-!? How did-!? That’s impossible! Why do you even know what a Stand is!?”

“Because, I have one myself.” Dash summoned Ride on Time by her side. “To be fair, you weren’t very discrete with your powers, not that you had to be when no one else could see them.”

“You must be one of the users Suri told us about, would it have killed her to at least give us some names or a description before sending us out on our mission.”

“It’s your own fault. If you hadn't ignored me yesterday you could have figured this out way sooner. Now, show me your Stand, so I can beat some sense into it!”

Lightning was cornered. She had severely underestimated Dash’s abilities, but she also felt relieved. Not only did she not have to keep her powers a secret any more, but the enemy she was tasked with destroying was none other than Rainbow Dash herself. “Guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll show you, Rift in the Clouds!”

Lightning summoned a whirling cyclone next to her head that slowly formed into a human-like, wind body. Her Stand was around the same size as Ride on Time. 

“I figured your Stand would have power over wind.” Dash surmised. “That's how you out-sped me in our race.”

“Oh, but I can do more than that, Rift can control the clouds themselves. If you want to challenge me to a fight then you better be prepared to battle nature itself.“

“What? I’m not challenging you to a fight. I want a rematch.”

“Excuse me?”

“From the race yesterday. If you’re gonna cheat using your Stand, then I’ll race you with mine.”

“A race with our Stands? Sounds interesting, but I’d rather just destroy you.”

“What’s wrong, afraid I’ll leave you in the dust?”

Lightning Dust was once again angered by the idea of Rainbow Dash using her own name as an insult, but even worse were Dash’s implications. Lightning wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t prove she could beat Dash on her own terms. 

“Fine, I accept your stupid race.” Lightning gave the field a once over, looking for a suitable track to race on. “One lap. From here, to the construction site at the Principal's office and back. We can both use our Stand powers during the race. Is that fair?”

“Fine with me, just give me sec.” Dash directed Ride one Time to latch onto her back, it’s legs wrapped around her waist as it outstretched it’s wings, resting on her like a backpack. Ride flapped it’s wings and just as Dash hoped, it lifted her into the air. She felt no strain on herself or her Stand, flying felt perfectly natural.

“How the-!?” Lightning gasped in amazement. “You’re flying with your Stand!?”

“Well, duh. You said we could use our Stands, you didn’t think I was going to race you on foot, did you?”

Lightning gave a bitter sigh. Using Rift in the Cloud’s wind powers, she levitated herself into the air and the girls prepared themselves for the race. 

“Ready?” They announced. “Go!”

Using the powers of their Stands the girls shot off in a burst of speed, Dash soaring with Ride on Time and Lightning riding the wind. Just as before, the girls were neck and neck, but Dash was slowly pulling ahead. 

As she realised, even with her Stand she was still losing, Lightning got desperate. She thought about using Rift to slow Dash down, but that could break her focus, causing Lightning to fall out of the air with her.

As they got closer to the construction site, Lightning got an idea. Normally, athletes paced themselves during a race, only going at full speed toward the finish, to secure the win. However, if she went full speed now, the resulting gust of wind would cause havoc at the construction site. A whirlwind of tools and debris should be enough to distract Rainbow Dash long enough to keep her out of the race. 

Lightning put everything she had into a sudden torrential burst of turbulent wind and shot past Dash. As Lightning made her 180 degree turn at the construction sight, she whipped up a gust of wind that sent equipment, debris and even some of the workers flying into the air. As she shot back, Dash was shocked by the chaos she had left in her wake.

Rainbow Dash detached herself from Ride on Time and used it to slice away at the falling debris, destroying it. With it’s incredible speed, Dash still had time to catch the falling workers with her Stand, one at a time to help them safely to the ground. Before the workers could question what even happened, Rainbow Dash reattached her Stand and flew off, leaving them with further questions.

Dash flew as fast as she could to catch up to Lightning, but it was too late, Lightning had already beat her to the opposite end of the field. 

“I can’t believe you did that!” Dash yelled furiously.

“What? We did agree we could use our Stand powers, right?”

“Forget about the rules! You could have seriously hurt those guys!”

“But you saved them, right?”

“No thanks to you!”

“So, everything’s fine. You saved the workers and I won the race.”

Rainbow Dash detached from her Stand, to confront Lightning face-to-face. “What the heck is your problem? No normal person would think like that, putting innocent people in danger to win some dumb race. Is winning really that important to you?”

“Of course it is! You wouldn’t understand, Rainbow Trash!”

“I may be trash, but at least I’m not willing to hurt innocent people for something as petty as a race! You jerk!”

Lightning tried to hide it, but Dash’s harsh criticisms were getting to her. She wondered if her actions really did go too far. “So, I guess that means you’ll want to fight me then. That’s fine, I was planning on destroying you anyway.”

“Oh, please. You could never beat me in a fight, Lightning.” Dash boasted with utmost confidence.

Lightning had enough of Dash’s cocky attitude and gathered gales of wind to lift her into the sky. “We’re done talking.” 

Storm clouds rolled in from over the horizon, covering the sky in darkness. Strong winds quickly formed into a large, spiraling tornado and heavy rain pelted the surrounding area. The ensuing storm overwhelmed and consumed Rainbow Dash, leaving her completely helpless, as Lightning kept her pinned down in a display of overwhelming power.

Despite her resistance, Dash couldn’t prevent the cyclone from lifting her off the ground and engulfing her. She panicked at first, as debris picked up by the tornado came flying towards her, but Ride on Time used it’s sharp wings to slice up anything that came near her. 

The cyclone was powerful, even with Ride on Time attached to her back, Dash found it difficult to fly against the wind and lost control frequently. However, despite the power of the gale force winds, Lightning wasn't attacking Dash directly, which made her wonder if Lightning Dust actually could attack her, or if she even had any control over the storm she conjured. 

Instead of trying to fight against it, Dash flew with the wind, confident that Lightning wouldn’t attack her. That confidence soon crumbled when a large machine came rolling, uncontrollably towards her. 

“No! Not the road roller!” Dash quickly detached Ride on Time to slice the machine in half. The road roller split apart and flew around Dash, but she wasn’t in the clear yet as the damaged electronics from the large vehicle caused the pieces to explode. The force of the explosion sent Dash flying into the eye of the tornado.

The eye was calm and serene, compared to the storm spiraling around her. Dash panicked, as she was no longer being held in the air by the force of the wind and was falling fast, but was relieved when her Stand caught up to her and reattached itself before she slammed into the ground, she landed safely. She figured the eye of the storm would be the perfect place for Lightning to hide and as she looked up, she found her floating high above. 

Dash flew straight for Lightning. “Surprise!” She yelled.

Lightning appeared distracted, she didn’t seem to notice Dash fly out of the tornado earlier, but she certainly noticed her surprise. 

“What!? How did you escape!?” 

“Did really think some wind and rain was enough to beat me?”

“I don’t know...”

“Well, I already know you can’t fight me while I’m in the eye of your storm, hope you’re ready for a beating.”

Lightning clutched her head in pain. “No, I mean, I don’t know how to stop.”

“Wait, what?”

“The storm is too much, it’s like a raging headache, I can’t focus.”

Dash grew concerned, she remembered the story Twilight told them. Specifically the part about Stand users losing control of their power. Lightning’s storm may not be as large as a typical tornado, but if she’s lost control of it, then it could grow into a devastating hurricane. 

“Alright, I’ll help.” Dash explained. “Just... brace yourself, okay?” 

She could only think of one way to put an end to this storm. She readied herself and bolted towards Lightning at an incredible speed. Lightning’s heart skipped a beat as she tried to defend herself, but Dash was too fast. She darted straight past Lightning, with the sound of a slash, something was cut. 

There was a pause. Lightning thought for sure she was dead, but after finally opening her eyes, she found that the only thing that had been cut was a strand of her hair. Her manic heartbeat calmed down and as she looked around and so did the storm. The sky was clear once more.

“What...? How did you know that would work?” Lightning asked in awe.

“Would what work?”

“I couldn’t focus my powers at all, but the moment you went to attack me, it was like my brain turned off all unnecessary activity and focused solely on you. With my mind fixated on that one moment, I wasn’t thinking about the storm any more. You saved me by scaring me half to death.”

“That’s what happened? Honestly, I was just going to knock you unconscious, but I swerved and missed at the last second. For some reason I just couldn’t bring myself to hurt you like that.”

“WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON UP THERE!?” Cried a desperately worried Sunset Shimmer. 

The two girls slowly drifted back to the ground. Sunset seemed very upset with them.

“Rainbow Dash, what happened!? I thought you were at gym class!?”

“Yeah, I kinda forgot they were holding it at Crystal Prep today.” She chuckled.

“That isn’t funny. I was just in the middle of class when out of nowhere this giant storm appeared outside our window. I tried to warn everyone, but none of them could see it and then they all laughed at me...”

“Sounds pretty funny to me.”

Sunset glared in disapproval, but Dash took it in stride and wrapped her arm around her mopey friend. “Aw come on, I believe you!”

“That’s because you're the one who caused it.”

Dash laughed off Sunset’s comment again, but suddenly realised something. “Hey, wait a minute! An invisible storm? Like the one from earlier this morning? Lightning that was you too, wasn’t it!”

“The storm this morning?”

“Yeah! It was like a rain cloud was following me wherever I went! What was up with that!?”

“I don’t remember doing that. I don’t even know where you live.”

“Hold on a minute.” Sunset intervened. “Are you absolutely sure that wasn’t you? Because no one else at school noticed any strange weather, so it had to have been caused by a Stand, and you're the only Stand user that can do something like that, right?”

“I don't know. I wanted to get back at Rainbow Dash, but going out of my way to make it rain on her? That just seems like a pointless waste of time.”

"But, then, who did it?"

“Why did you want to beat me so badly?” Dash interrupted.

“I-I... was jealous. It sounds stupid, but, I was tired of being a nobody. Being made fun of. Tired of receiving participation ribbons and A’s for effort. When I received these powers I thought I could finally win for once and I did win, a lot. But then I found out about you. The fastest racer in Canterlot High. Your records were even more impressive than any of Crystal Prep’s. If I could beat you then I could beat anybody, but I guess I got a little carried away, especially once I found out you were a Stand user.”

“A little?” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I feel you, I feel you deeply. You’re not the first person to call me, Rainbow Trash or Crash or Last. But I turned those insults into motivation. “You won’t be laughing at me when you’re eating my dust!” That’s how I always dealt with it. Less like revenge and more like rising to the challenge!”

The girls laughed at Dash’s amusing pep talk before Sunset got back to business. “Lightning. I don’t suppose you could tell us anything about who’s behind these sudden Stand appearances could you?”

“I can’t...”

“Please!” Sunset begged. “I can't stand not knowing, just give me anything, even the slightest hint would be helpful.”

“I really can’t. Who knows what he’ll do if he found out.”

“So, it’s a he?” Sunset noticed, as Lightning covered her mouth in shock. 

“Why are you so afraid of this guy?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "What does he want?"

“I don’t know who he is, I haven’t even seen him. I’ve only ever heard his voice and his Stand...”

“You know what his Stand is!? Please tell us!” Sunset urged.

“My memory's kinda vague, all I remember was a never-ending darkness. An endless void. It felt like something was stalking me, that it would pounce at any moment. I couldn’t see anything beyond that abyss. I couldn’t escape it, no matter how much I ran. His voice was the only thing I could hear and I can't even remember what he said. All I know is that we can't betray him, I never want to go back to that dark place again.”

Lightning was genuinely terrified recalling the memories of her interactions with whoever their boss was. 

“Hey, Sunset.” Dash proposed. “Do you think the other Stand users working for this guy are just as scared as Lightning is?”

“Definitely. It's pretty likely he's using fear to control the other Stand users. Which means instead of fighting them, we should be helping them. If we can befriend the people he's controlling, get them on our side, it'll increase our odds of defeating him. I don't care how terrifying his Stand is, if we all work together, we can stop him... whoever he is..."
> Part 6-1: The Midnight Carnival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was lunch hour at Canterlot High and all the students were gathered in the cafeteria, starving and ready to forget whatever lessons they had learned just moments ago. Rainbow Dash arrived, joining her friends, grouped together at their usual table. While they discussed their boring, mundane school life, Rainbow Dash was eager to talk about the horrible ordeal she just went through, quickly taking over the conversation.

“It was huge!” Dash explained.

“Gosh!” Replied Fluttershy.

“It was terrifying!” 

“Goodness!” Gasped Rarity.

“And it was super hard!”

“Rainbow Dash, you say that about every science quiz you take! They ain’t that hard!” Applejack asserted.

“Yes they are! How was I supposed to know you need warm AND cool air to create a tornado? How does the temperature even change like?”

“Maybe if you spent less time sleeping and more time listening in class you’d know.”

“Can't you get off my case, for once? I had to fight an actual tornado this morning.”

“It was just a test, Dash.”

“No, I mean a literal one.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean- the tornado was an enemy Stand user.”

“ENEMY STAND!?” Applejack shouted in shock.

“Applejack!” Sunset hushed. “You can’t just shout "Enemy Stand", out in the open like that.”

“Sorry, got a little carried away. I just didn’t think they’d attack us while we were at school. I knew they’d be dangerous but that’s just playing dirty.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t yell like that, if they can attack us at school, then there could be other Stand users among the students, too. We're waiting for them to make a move, but we don't want to paint a target on our back, either.”

"But, why?" Dash complained. "I wanna fight these guys now."

"If we cause a disturbance using our powers, then we'll be the ones labelled as villains and I'd rather not go through the whole "You gotta trust me, I'm not evil!" shtick again." Sunset explained.

The girls understood, the situation was awkward enough without scaring and endangering the rest of students at school.

“So, did you learn anything new from, what was their name?” Rarity asked.

"Lightning Dust" Dash answered. 

"That's an odd name. What would dusty lightning even look like...?"

“Yeah, well, all we got from her is that some shady guy is commanding these other Stand users. No idea why, though.”

"We did learn that his Stand is pretty terrifying, apparently." Sunset continued.

“Terrifying? Oh, why couldn’t his Stand just be slightly intimidating?” Fluttershy lamented.

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. We’ll all fight him together.” Dash assured. “Unless he sneaks up on you in the middle of the night and gets ya!”

Fluttershy squeaked in fright. “You don’t really think he’d do that, right?”

“No.” Sunset stressed. “Rainbow Dash is just playing. There’s no way this guy would go to the trouble of assembling a team of Stand users if he was just going to do everything himself. You have nothing to worry about... I hope.”

“Unless we defeat all his Stand users, in which case he’ll definitely be coming after us.” Applejack retorted.

“Yeah, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Sunset laughed, anxiously.

Just then an explosion erupted from the other side of the cafeteria. Fluttershy shrieked and immediately hid under the table. The explosion left behind colourful smoke clouds and sparkles as a figure in a wizard’s hat and cape strolled out of the fog laughing maniacally. “Ladies and Gentlemen! Please do not be alarmed, for it is I! The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Rarity leaned under the table to calm Fluttershy. “You can come out now, darling. It’s just Trixie being silly, again.”

Trixie continued with her deafeningly, loud announcement. “At Midnight tonight, Trixie will be giving an exclusive performance in the center of Canterlot Park, right in front of the park’s center piece: The Time Dial. And the name of this tour de force of enchantment and wonder, I hear you ask? Trixie presents: “The Midnight Carnival”! 

There, she will dazzle the crowd with feats of magic beyond human comprehension! You’ll be utterly amazed by the sheer depths of her power and completely flabbergasted by-”

“Excuse me. Did you say midnight?” Asked a lowly nerd.

“Yes, Trixie said midnight. Please pay attention when the Great and Powerful Trixie is proclaiming her greatness.”

“But we have school tomorrow.”

“So?”

“Well, we can’t go to the park at midnight on a school night.”

“Yeah!” Yelled a young man with dreadlocks. “I’ve got a test tomorrow, I can’t afford to lose sleep just for some magic show!”

“B-but, it’s called the Midnight Carnival, it has to be at midnight. I was gonna start the moment the Time Dial struck twelve and I already went to the trouble of making all these flyers!” 

Trixie suddenly lifted a box full of flyers in front of the crowd, with her face plastered on each and every one.

“But, I don’t wanna sleep in and be late again, my teacher gets mad when I’m late all the time!” Explained a wall-eyed girl.

“Besides, I heard that park is rather unsafe at night. Why would anyone go there with all those rumours of bizarre ghosts and such lurking in the shadows?” A well dressed girl with a strong English accent pointed out.

“Oh fine!” Trixie yelled. “We’ll have the show after school, is that better!?”

“What time?” Asked the nerd.

“I don’t know. 4:30, maybe?”

The students spoke among themselves for a moment before agreeing with Trixie’s new proposed time.

Trixie breathed a sigh of relief now that her audience’s minor quibbles had been dealt with. 

“Very well!” She announced. “The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Midnight Carnival... will actually be at around 4:30 after school.” The other students agreed as they dispersed from the cafeteria.

“Oh, wait!” Yelled Trixie. “Don’t forget to pick up a flyer, I worked hard on these!”

Sunset Shimmer and her friends watched the magician’s antics from their table, dumbstruck by her lack of forethought and planning. 

“If she really wanted her show to be at midnight, why couldn’t she just wait until Friday?” Sunset questioned.

“You know how she is." Rarity answered. "Once Trixie sets her mind on something, she refuses to let go, even if it's obviously ridiculous. She can be more impatient than Pinkie Pie. By the way, where is Pinkie?”

“HERE I AM!” Pinkie shouted, appearing from nowhere and nearly giving Rarity a heart attack.

“Pinkie!?” Rarity gasped. “Where were you and why is there a pot on your head?”

“I’ve been hiding in the kitchen since my second class.” She smiled.

“Why?” 

“Because of the giant tornado outside! I tried to warn everyone, but they wouldn’t listen, they all thought I was crazy, can you believe that? So then I ran to the cafeteria, put a pot on my head and hid under the kitchen sink for an hour.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” Dash boasted. “I took care of that pesky tornado.”

“Yeah, I heard!”

“What, how? You weren’t even here.”

“I also heard about that creepy guy with the scary Stand. Some spooky stuff is going on in this town.”

“Pinkie, how do you know about all this, already?” Sunset asked.

“Because of this little guy.” Pinkie lifted a napkin off the table to reveal her Stand, Birthday Train had been hiding underneath it the whole time. The pink pony Stand waved back at the girls. “She sure comes in handy.”

“You heard our whole conversation through this thing?” 

“Yeah! It’s like we have some weird, psychic connection or something.”

“Your Stand’s weird, Pinkie.” Dash remarked.

A sudden thud interrupted the girls’ conversation as a box of flyers slammed onto their table. The Great and Powerful Trixie demanded their attention. 

“So, Rainbooms.” She addressed. “You’ll be attending my little show this afternoon, right?” 

“Not, really.” Applejack replied.

“What!? Why not? What could possibly be more important than the Great and Powerful Trixie’s great and powerful magic show!?”

“I’ve got work to do on the farm, can’t waste my time at some silly magic show.”

The other girls also had their reasons for why they couldn’t attend Trixie’s show: Rarity was still working on her dress project, Fluttershy had volunteer work at the animal shelter, Pinkie had work at Sugarcube Cafe and Rainbow Dash had detention with Coach Spitfire after school for missing gym earlier that morning.

“And what about you?” Trixie asked Sunset.

“Meh, human magic isn’t very interesting.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It’s all just smoke and mirrors, it’s not as impressive as real magic.”

Trixie was furious, how dare these ignorant mouth breathers shrug off her Midnight Carnival like it was some cheap side show. “How can you just push me aside like that!? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. What if I never put on another show like this again!? Then you’ll be sorry you missed it!” 

“Sorry, Trixie, but we said 'no'.” Sunset affirmed.

Trixie took a moment to calm herself with a deep breath. “Fine, be that way and after everything we’ve been through together.”

“Oh gimme a break, you locked us under a stage so those Sirens could feed off of the crowd.” Applejack responded.

“So you could beat them with a surprise attack later.” Trixie testified.

The girls remained skeptical, not even Pinkie was going to fall for that lie.

Trixie needed to come up with a better excuse, quickly. “But you have to go! I made flyers and everything! I spent all my money on these! I can’t let them go to waste!” She explained, looking for sympathy.

Trixie's incessant whining aggravated Applejack. “You can’t tell me what to do! I’ve got work to do after school, I can’t go to your magic show!”

“Oh, of course you can, Applejack.” Laughed one of the lunch ladies.

“Granny!?” Applejack yelped, not expecting her grandmother to suddenly jump into the conversation. “What are you talking about?”

“I overheard you little spat with the wizard girl, there. You’re always working so hard, I don't mind you taking today off to see your friend's show.”

“What? But-”

“Don’t you threat, I’m sure Big Mac won’t mind picking up the slack for you.”

“But, I-”

“Oh, and why don’t you take little Applebloom with you, she loves carnivals.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is honoured that you would allow Applejack to attend her show.” Trixie bowed in gratitude, to hide her sly grin.

“Oh, isn’t she nice. See, Applejack? All you had to do was ask and now we've made everybody happy.”

“Thanks, Granny...” Applejack sulked.

“Well, I guess that’s settled then.” Trixie smirked. “I’ll see you this afternoon, Applejack. Mwahahahahahahaha!” As she laughed, Trixie threw a smoke bomb to cover her escape. 

“Oh my gosh! She’s gone!” Pinkie screamed. “Oh no, wait, there she is.” She pointed as Trixie fought to free her cape from the cafeteria doors before making a hasty escape.

“Ah, horse apples.” Applejack muttered.

Thankfully, for the girls, the rest of the school day was uneventful, although Applejack was dreading her inevitable encounter with Trixie. As she walked home she considered ignoring the magic show entirely. Granny would be disappointed, after how “nice” Trixie was behaving, but getting a scolding from her Granny was nothing compared to the torment of dealing with the biggest braggart in the whole town. 

As Applejack came up to her house, all she cared about was taking her mind off of the whole situation, with some good, honest farm work, only to be stopped at the gate by a small red-headed child. 

“Applebloom?” Applejack asked. “How did you get home before me?”

Applebloom had a look of excitement and wonder in her eye, which could only spell trouble for her older sister. “Granny told me about the magic show in the park!”

“Oh no…”

“She said I could go too!”

“I don’t know. The show’s really, only for big girls.”

“I am a big girl! I’m almost half as tall as you are! That’s big enough!”

“Well, uh, why don’t you go on your own, if you’re such a big girl, now.”

“I can’t go to the park on my own! You heard about the weird stories there, right? I’ll need adult supervision.”

“What about Big Mac?”

“Big Mac’s got work to do!”

“But, I've got... you can’t just... that’s not...” Applejack eventually broke with a defeated sigh. “You can’t make this easy can you, Applebloom?”

“Enope!” She grinned.

“Alright! I’ll take you to the darn magic show.”

“WHOOO!”

Applejack escorted an excited Applebloom to the park where a small crowd gathered. While Applebloom tugged on Applejack’s hand, urging her to follow the crowd to the show, Applejack was lost in thought. This was the same park Sunset was attacked in, twice in fact and then there were the rumours at school. Stories of strange incidents involving ghosts. 

“Could they be talking about Stands?” Applejack thought to herself. She looked around the immediate area, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, but as they headed toward the center of the park, something caught her eye.

“Sis, come on!” Applebloom begged, pulling on her sister’s arm. “Stop your daydreaming or we’re gonna miss the show!” 

Applejack checked the clock at the center of the park. “The show doesn’t start for at least another ten minutes. Why don’t you run ahead and get us a seat, there’s something I want to look into, real quick.”

“You better not be planning to ditch the show. I’ll tell Granny if you leave me here by myself!”

Applejack laughed, Applebloom could be pretty devious when she wanted to. “Don’t give me any ideas, I’ll be back for the show, just run on ahead.” Applebloom listened to her sister and found a couple of seats at the front of the stage. 

She wasn’t concerned with the seating arrangements, Applejack's attention was fixated on something more mysterious, a strange drawing on the ground. The center of the park was one big concrete circle with the park’s clock placed perfectly in the center. 

The clock was just an eccentric art piece the mayor commissioned in the hopes it would make the park look less boring and more modern and artistic. It was named the Time Dial as it not only told the time with its clock faces but also with the shadow it cast from the light of the Sun with the surrounding concrete circle acting as the face. Unfortunately this only encouraged more eccentric artists to draw graffiti around the clock which the park janitors had to clean up on a regular basis.

With how big the area was, big enough for a small stage show and it’s audience, it wasn’t uncommon to find graffiti the janitors would miss, but the graffiti Applejack examined was different.

This graffiti was a small circle with three apples drawn inside it. The apples immediately caught her attention, but as much as she loved them, she never really saw apples as nothing more than delicious fruit, not the center of an art peace. She continued to examine the strange drawings.

There were two lines connected to the apple drawing's circle on both sides. The lines stretched all the way out to the border of the park’s clock face. Applejack couldn’t make out where the rest of the lines were connected to with all the people and chairs scattered around the park, but she had a hunch that they connected to the other side of the Time Dial’s concrete face and so, she ran past the crowd and behind the stage to investigate further. 

Her hunch was right, on the other side of the face was another circle with a drawing inside and it’s position mirrored the apple drawing. This second drawing was strange, however as it resembled a star with six points. Applejack felt like she had seen these drawings somewhere before, but she wasn’t quite sure where. It could just be a coincidence, just graffiti the janitors neglected to clean up, but there was something strange about them, like they resonated with her.

“What are you doing back here?” Demanded an irritated voice. 

“Oh, I should have known you’d be backstage, Trixie.”

“Well, this is my stage, of course I’d be back here, preparing for my act.”

Applejack took a look at Trixie’s stage, it too gave off a strange vibe. “It sure looks old though.” She questioned. “Doesn’t look like it’s equipped with your usual fireworks and confetti.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Jackie. That’s where the magic comes in.”

“Jackie?”

“Now! Go take your seat! And prepare to be amazed by my sheer, unmatched brilliance!”

Applejack suddenly remembered why she didn’t want to be here, but she reluctantly followed Trixie’s orders and took her seat in front of the stage while her sister eagerly awaited the show to start. 

The stage lights dimmed as fog seeped through the curtains, covering the stage as a drum roll played from seemingly nowhere. The entire crowd waited with baited breath, except Applejack who was fixated on figuring out how Trixie was even doing all of this without any access to electricity. Suddenly, in a burst of smoke, Trixie sprung onto the stage. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Trixie announced, as her voice somehow echoed throughout the park. “I would like to formally welcome you all to a very special, one night showing of: The Midnight Carnival!” 

As she finished, fireworks flew out from behind the stage and rocketed into the sky, exploding into a shower of rainbow colours. The crowd was in awe, already impressed with Trixie’s performance, except for Applejack, who remained skeptical. 

“Now, for Trixie’s first trick, she’ll start with something simple!” Trixie counted from one to three, on three she snapped her fingers creating a puff of smoke, as a bouquet of flowers appeared in her hands. Impressive, as she was wearing a short sleeved outfit, so she couldn’t have hid them anywhere, but what was even more impressive was when the flowers suddenly rocketed out of Trixie’s hands and burst into the sky like fireworks, raining down flower petals onto the stage and crowd. 

“Now for her second trick, Trixie will allow an audience member to select a card, at random from this deck.” The deck of cards poofed into Trixie's hand as she held them out to the audience. They seemed perfectly normal, at the very least there were no rockets attached to them.

“Oh! Me! Me! I wanna pick one!” Cried Applebloom in excitement. 

“Very well, little one, choose your card and Trixie will deduce, using her magnificent brain, what your chosen card is!”

Applebloom picked a card at random, the Queen of Hearts, but kept its identity to herself. Applejack refused to be impressed, going from flower fireworks to a card trick just seemed backwards. Trixie clearly played her best trick first and was now relying on childish gimmicks. Or at least, that’s what she assumed.

Applebloom memorised the card and placed it back into the deck. Rather than using her hands, Trixie levitated the deck in front of her, and shuffled the cards over the crowd. The deck returned to Trixie, but simply plucking the card out of the deck with her hand would be boring, so instead the cards formed a circle around her with the front of the cards facing the audience. As the cards orbited around her, Trixie remained focused before swiftly snagging one as it passed by. The remaining cards flew behind her and Trixie flipped her chosen card over and declared. “Was your card, the Queen of Hearts?” 

“Ohmygosh! Yes! That’s so cool!” Applebloom screamed as the rest of the crowd cheered. Even Applejack was shocked. Not by Trixie’s guess, but by the rest of her card tricks. It was almost as if she was using real magic, which only made Applejack more suspicious. 

“For this next trick, Trixie will need a volunteer from the audience!” Trixie proclaimed, as a long box appeared on stage with a puff of smoke. “Now, among all my adoring fans, which of you is brave enough to put your life in Trixie's hands as she saws you in half!” 

Trixie’s spectators leapt out of there chairs, desperately yelling for Trixie’s attention. Trixie was extremely pleased with herself, her show was already a roaring success, but it wasn’t enough, there was still something she had to do and with the audience on her side, now was the the perfect chance. Trixie scanned over the many willing participants before she found her perfect target. “Trixie wants... you!” 

“Me?” Asked Applejack. “Sorry, not interested, how about you choose someone who cares.”

“Oh, come on, Applejack!” Applebloom pleaded. “You gotta go on stage, it’ll be so cool!”

“It seems our volunteer needs a little convincing.” Trixie declared, hyping up her crowd. “How about it, my adoring fans, let's give her some encouragement!” Trixie and the audience chanted Applejack’s name, over and over until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh, gimme a break, fine! I’ll do it!” Applejack yelled. The crowd cheered as she climbed onto the stage with Trixie escorting her over to the box. “So, I just gotta lay down in this?”

“Indeed. And just leave the rest to Trixie.” Applejack laid down in the box and Trixie closed it, with Applejack’s head poking out of the top. With another puff of smoke, a saw blade appeared in her hand. “Now, watch as The Great and Powerful Trixie, performs her most deadly trick! Sawing the lady in half!”

As Trixie approached, Applejack wondered: There wasn’t anything special about this box, nor were there any fake legs to trick the audience. Something was definitely wrong about this trick. There were no safety precautions what so ever. As soon as Trixie lowered her saw, Applejack freaked, as her Stand appeared and swiftly kicked Trixie to the other side of the stage. 

The audience gasped in shock as Applejack freed herself. 

“What the heck did you do that for!?” Trixie was enraged by Applejack’s sudden attack. “You ruined my favourite trick!”

“What did I do!? You were actually gonna saw me in half!”

“Well, duh! That’s the point of the trick! It’s a classic!”

“But you were literally going to saw me in half!”

“I was going to put you back together again, you idiot!”

“Well, you should have told me! And how the heck were you even going to do that!?”

"If I told you that it wouldn't be a magic trick, you dumb hick!"

The performers would have continued their bickering if it weren’t for the audience’s intervention. Some stared, jaws agape, while others whispered among themselves, but all of them stared at Applejack.

“Sis?” Called Applebloom. “What’s that ghost thingy floating next to you?” 

“What are you-?” Applejack stopped mid-sentence as she realised she had summoned her Stand, she did it instinctively when she felt her life was in danger. 

“Wait, you can see this thing?” Applebloom nodded in concern. Applejack looked at the rest of the audience, who all looked just as baffled. “Can... all of you see it?” The audience also nodded.

This was quite the predicament. Only a Stand user could see another person’s Stand, but now everyone could see it. Applejack was pretty sure none of the audience members were Stand users, considering how confused they looked, but if that were true then how were they seeing it. That’s when Applejack remembered Trixie’s show, the fireworks, the cards and the saw. None of them felt natural, they were conjured using real magic.

“Now I understand what's going on!” Applejack explained. “I thought something about this show stank and I’m not just talking about your attitude. Those magic tricks of yours weren’t tricks at all! You’re using real magic! You're a Stand user, aren’t you, Trixie!”

Trixie laughed arrogantly at Applejack’s sudden declaration. “Who’d have thought the country bumpkin would be smart enough to not only figure out my little secret, but also have a Stand herself!”

“Stop messing around, Trixie! I've already figured you out. Now, show me your Stand, already!”

“Oh, there’s no need, Jackie. It’s been in front of you this whole time.”

“You mean, the saw?”

“What? No!”

“Is it your cards? Are they your Stand?”

“Of course not! Think bigger.”

Applejack was stumped for a moment. The only Stands she’s ever seen were all human-like in appearance, except Pinkie's, but Applejack couldn’t see anything like that anywhere on stage. That’s when she had a revelation. The Stage, it didn’t run on electricity, produced sound from nowhere and somehow echoed Trixie’s voice without a microphone. 

“No... you can’t be serious.” 

Trixie enjoyed the look of terror on Applejack's face as she analysed the stage. “That’s right! My Stand: The Midnight Carnival, is the stage itself!"
> Part 6-2: The Midnight Carnival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack was stunned by the realisation that Trixie's Stand was the very stage they were standing on.

“What!? That’s ridiculous! You can’t have a Stand that big!” She disputed.

“Jealous?" Trixie mocked. "It’s certainly more appealing than thunder thighs over there. What did you even call that thing, Apple Bucker?”

“I-it doesn’t have a name.” Applejack answered nervously. 

“Getting a little hesitant, are we?”

“N-no! My Stand doesn’t have a name and it doesn’t need one. It’s irrelevant!”

“Now you’re being defensive.”

“N-no I’m not! I’ve got nothing to hide!” She argued, as her face scrunched up and turned a bright red.

“You’re a horrible liar, Jackie.”

Applejack couldn’t respond, Trixie was reading her like a book and she wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding it.

“Well, audience?” Trixie addressed. “Who here wants to know the name of Applejack’s Stand?” 

The audience barely understood what a Stand even was, but it only took the interest of one loud, little bystander to get the rest of the crowd riled up. “I wanna know! What’s your Stand thingy called, Sis!?”

As they chanted Applejack's name again, she couldn’t help but give in to their demands. Her honesty just wouldn’t allow her to keep it a secret anymore. “Gimme a break...”

“Excuse me?” Trixie teased.

“Gimme a Break! My Stand is called Gimme a Break!”

A hush fell over the audience, even Applebloom was silent. Trixie, however, could hardly contain her laughter. “Hahahahahahahahaha! Are you serious!? That’s not even a name, it's an expression! I almost feel embarrassed for you.”

“Shut up!” Applejack protested. “I didn’t even name it, my friend did!”

“Well, you always did have “special” friends.”

Applejack's anger reached its boiling point, not only from Trixie's Stand literally being the entire stage, but from  her constant, unbearable taunting, but she needed to calm down and change the subject before their confrontation derailed even further. “Trixie! What about the audience? How can they see my Stand?” 

Once she wiped the tears from her eyes she eventually gave an answer. “It’s just a side effect of The Midnight Carnival, our show will be much more entertaining if the audience can see what’s happening as well." Trixie calmed herself and focused on the task at hand. "Now that we’ve revealed our true strength, why don’t we see which of our Stands is the greatest and most powerful?”

“Well, I can’t pass up an opportunity to shut that big mouth of yours, now can I?” Applejack cracked her knuckles, readying herself for a fight. Trixie responded with a beckoning hand gesture, urging Applejack to come at her. 

Not wanting to be rude, Applejack charged full speed toward Trixie, only for a box to appear in front of her in a puff of smoke. It appeared so suddenly, she had no time to respond and ran straight into it. The box closed, disappeared and reappeared behind Trixie where Applejack, still caught in the momentum of her run, flew right off the stage.

The crowd wasn’t sure what was going on with all this “Stand” business, but were nonetheless entertained by Trixie’s magic. Applejack, not so much. She picked herself up and climbed back onto the stage, even more determined to beat Trixie to a pulp than before. 

“You wanna try fighting me for real, or are cheap parlor tricks all you good at?” She heckled.

“Oh, I’m sorry Jackie.” Trixie answered, sarcastically. “It was rude of me to throw you off the stage like a helpless child. Let me fix that for you.” With a click of her fingers, a bright light surrounded the stage for a brief moment and vanished.

“What did you just do?”

“I just put up a barrier around the stage.” 

“Trying to keep me in are you? Not like I was planning on running anyway.”

“Oh, it’s not for you. I just don’t want anyone in the crowd getting caught in our cross-fire.”

“So, you really are gonna fight me for real?” Applejack was getting a little excited. Perhaps it was the spectators, or the unpredictable nature of Trixie’s Midnight Carnival, or maybe it was just that fact that she was finally having her first, real Stand battle, but something about all this felt riveting. Whatever it was, she was psyched and ready for whatever Trixie was conjuring up.

“Now!” Trixie announced. “Trixie shall show you the true power of The Midnight Carnival!” Dozens of knives appeared around Trixie, all of them aimed at Applejack. “Let’s see how you handle these!”

The knives flew toward Applejack, but thanks to her Stand’s incredible speed and power, it effortlessly batted the knives away with it’s lightning fast kicks. The knives that were cast aside bounced off Trixie’s barrier preventing them from harming the audience. After about thirty seconds it was obvious to Trixie that her knife throwing trick wasn’t getting her anywhere.

“Your Stand’s a lot faster than I thought.” Trixie praised. “But, now I’m certain I’ve got you beat.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Tell me, Jackie? Can your Stand do anything else?” 

“No and it doesn’t need to. I don't rely on tricks to win my fights, unlike you.”

“In that case, you should have no problem dealing with some heavier artillery!” A large puff of smoke burst in front of Trixie, as a cannon suddenly appeared. The fuse was lit, about to fire at any second, but Applejack was confident. If she could take a hit from Bulk’s Stand, she could handle a simple cannonball. 

The cannon fired sending the ball straight for Applejack, but as expected, her Stand was quick enough and strong enough to protect her, kicking the ball in mid-flight, killing all of its momentum. However, while the ball itself stopped dead in it’s tracks, the moment it fell to the ground, it detonated. 

In a burst of smoke and confetti, the force of the blast sent Applejack flying into the barrier, the blast blinded her temporarily and left her open for Trixie to continue her assault. 

“I have you now, Jackie!” Fireworks, suddenly fired from behind the stage and locked onto Applejack's position. With all the smoke blocking her vision and being flash banged from a bright explosion, she couldn’t fight back, only brace herself. 

The rockets crashed into Applejack. Covering the stage in bright explosions and smoke. The audience were on the edge of their seats, with Applebloom hoping her sister wasn’t horribly injured. Trixie, on the other hand, was gleefully chuckling to herself. 

“It seems our show has come to an end.” She announced, proclaiming her victory. “But, at least it went out with a bang!”

As Trixie continued to laugh to herself, the smoke cleared and her laughter came to a sudden halt. Applejack was still standing. 

“What!?” Trixie cried. “That’s impossible! You should be lying face down in the dirt!”

Applejack seemed pretty happy that she was able to break Trixie’s confidence just by surviving her attack. “I gotta admit, you caught me off guard with that cannonball, but it seems performing cheap stunts is all you can really do. Those explosives of yours are all show and no substance. I’ve popped balloons more dangerous than them.”

Trixie was genuinely confused. She threw a cannonball and fireworks at her and yet Applejack wasn't phased at all. She had hoped her tricks would have roughed her up a little, how could she possibly survive multiple explosions to the face with such ease?

“Alright.” Applejack dusted herself off. “If you’re finished with your annoying tricks, I’d say it’s my turn to put on a show.” 

Applejack’s sudden bravado frightened Trixie, but as Applejack came charging toward her, she remembered she had one final trick up her sleeve. The moment Applejack was about to attack, Trixie opened a trap door in front of her and with no time to react, Applejack fell through the stage and into the darkness below, with a crash. 

“What the heck!? Trixie! Now what are you up to!?”

“Sorry, sugarcube, but I can’t have you ruining my show, so just stay down there and wallow in your own misery for a little while.” 

Applejack attempted to protest, but Trixie simply slammed the door on her face. She was confident that she had finally bested Applejack and lowered her barrier. The stage felt stuffy when the barrier was up for too long, especially with all the smoke.

In a last ditch effort to win, Trixie locked Applejack underneath her stage, in total darkness. Applejack felt trapped, but she refused to lose to another one of Trixie's cheap tactics. While she stumbled around in the darkness she could still hear Trixie’s loud, obnoxious voice above her. Her loud boasting about how great she was only served as motivation to push Applejack further.

As she wandered the darkness, she stumbled across various different objects, but couldn’t see what they were. One felt like a large ball, while another felt like a sharp blade. She continued to wander until she came to what felt like a wall. The wall felt thick, a lot more sturdy than the stage appeared from the outside. Not that she saw that as a problem. 

She unleashed her Stand to try and break down the wall. It was tougher than she thought, but Trixie's continued appraisal of herself from above gave Applejack the drive to keep going. She had to break free, just so she could shut Trixie's big mouth. It wasn't long before she started to see light peering through the cracks of the wall and with one final thrust she finally broke through.

She crawled out of the hole and found herself behind the stage. The light from the, now, setting sun shone through the hole and inside the stage revealing the objects she found earlier. A cannon, cannonball, knives, all the props from Trixie’s show were hidden underneath the stage. With this, Applejack was finally able to put the pieces together and figure out the true secret to The Midnight Carnival’s power and promptly removed as many of the props as she could.  

Trixie was just about to wrap up her show when the audience gasped unexpectedly. She wasn’t sure what they were gasping at, so she just assumed it was in awe of her stunning abilities. “Do not threat, dear audience! Trixie’s show may be over for now, but her greatness shall one day return!” She turned to leave, only to jump when she met eyes with a bitter Applejack.

“What!?” Trixie cried. “How!? What!? No! What!?” 

“I’m guessing you weren’t expecting me to escape your pit?” Applejack gloated.

“That’s literally impossible! How did you break out of my stage, those walls are as hard as steel!”

“I kicked them really hard.”

The audience chuckled at Applejack’s remark, which infuriated Trixie. She was not going to allow this hick to humiliate her at her own event, not when she was so close to finishing an otherwise perfect show. “The show’s over, Jackie! But if you want an encore so badly, I’ll give you one, but this will be our final battle!”

Applejack beckoned Trixie, urging her to try and defeat her.

Trixie wasted no time summoning her cannon again, she planned on blowing Applejack right off the stage to end the fight immediately and decisively. The fuse was lit and soon after, the cannon fired, but nothing came out. 

“What!?” Trixie cried, again. “What happened to my cannon!?” 

As Trixie was inspecting her cannon for any damage, Applejack slowly walked over to her. 

“Forget it!” Trixie yelled in frustration. “I’ll just use my trusty knives.” She attempted to surround herself with knives just like before, but, again, nothing happened. 

“My... my knives? Where are my knives?” She tried summoning her other props, from her cards to her fireworks, but none of them appeared, except for the magic box she caught Applejack with earlier. “Well, at least this still works.”

The box appeared in front of Applejack, despite walking at a brisk enough pace that she could just walk around it, she instead chose to walk right into Trixie’s trap. Trixie smirked to herself, as she mused over how stupid Applejack must be to literally walk right into her trap, but her confidence was soon crushed when Applejack’s Stand broke through the back of the box with a single kick. 

“You...” Trixie snarled. “You tampered with my Stand, didn’t you!?”

“Maybe.”

“How dare you! What have you done!?”

“All I did was remove the props from under your stage. The cannon and box were a little too big to fit through the hole I made, but everything else I threw out. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that all the props you used against me were under there, so I just put two and two together and figured it was tied to your Stand power.”

Trixie was devastated. Not only did Applejack escape her inescapable trap, but she even figured out her Stand's weakness! It was inconceivable, but even so, she still had her trump card. “Don’t get cocky, Jackie. I still have my final trick!” 

As Applejack drew closer, Trixie opened her trap door, but wise to her tricks, Applejack leapt out of the way at the last minute, but that didn’t discourage Trixie as her true plan was to open the entire stage floor, with the exception of the ground beneath her own feet, in an attempt to swallow Applejack completely. 

Trixie prepared to gloat over her victory, but was suddenly overcome with fear when she saw that Applejack’s feet were floating in mid-air. She slowly looked up, dreading to learn how she could have avoided her trap and more importantly, what she was going to do to her now that she had.

Thanks to her Stand holding her up by the arm, levitating over the void beneath the stage, Applejack avoided Trixie’s final trap. 

“Nice try.” Applejack’s Stand carried her in it’s arms as they prepared to launch their final attack. “I think it’s time for me to perform a magic trick of my own.”

“What are you going to do?” Trixie asked with dread.

“Make you disappear.”

“Oh, geez...”

With one powerful kick, Applejack’s Stand sent Trixie soaring through the park and out the entrance as she crashed into a parked car. 

And with that, Trixie retired and her stage disappeared in a puff of smoke. The crowd cheered at such a fantastic finale to an amazing, if somewhat bizarre, magic show. Applebloom ran to her sister to congratulate her.

“That was awesome, Sis! You and Trixie must have spent months working on that show! But how did you do all of that!?”

Applejack didn't remember working on any show, but decided to go along with her sister’s assumptions. “Sorry, hon. A magician never reveals her secret.”

Moments after the crowd dispersed and after taking Applebloom home, Trixie was omitted to the hospital, but Applejack wasn’t done with her just yet.

She arrived at the hospital and found Trixie’s room. She was bandaged up, but seemed to be in pretty good shape for someone whose entire body tore through a car. Stand users just seemed to be naturally more resilient to, what should have been, fatal injuries. She was calmly reading her book on magic, but nearly jumped out of her skin when she caught sight of Applejack again.

“Now what do you want!? Was humiliating me in front of my fans not satisfying enough for you!?” 

“Humiliate? What you talking about? The audience loved you, said it was the best show they ever saw.”

“Really?” For a brief moment, Trixie acted surprisingly humble, before immediately reverting back to her arrogant self. “Maybe we should do shows together more often. I'll definitely beat you next time!”

“I’d rather not.”

“Oh, well, whatever. What are you here for, Trixie is quite busy reading at the moment and does not wish to be disturbed.”

“I just came here to ask you a few questions.”

“Trixie doesn’t really do post show interviews.”

“Trixie, for once, can you just cooperate like a normal person?”

Trixie continued reading her book.

“Trixie, if you don’t take this seriously, then so help me, I will do to you what you did to that car.”

Trixie heeded Applejack’s threat. She was in no position to argue and didn't feel like being mangled beyond repair. Of course, that didn't mean she had to like it. “Fine, ask away.”

“Where did you get your Stand?”

“In the park.”

“Okay, how?” 

“Someone threw an arrow at me or something, it felt really weird now that I think about it.”

“Did you see who it was?”

“Not really.”

Interrogating Trixie was more infuriating than fighting her, but Applejack had to keep pressing on until she found something, anything that could help. “When did this happen and what were you even doing in the park?”

“It must have been late at night and obviously, Trixie was practising her magic.”

“How could you possibly think practising magic in the park, in the middle of the night, was a good idea?”

“Because it’s quiet and no one will disturb Trixie, there. Besides my Mom's always getting noise complaints from the neighbours when, honestly, they should be thrilled that they get to hear the behind-the-scenes training of Trixie’s spectacular magic shows.”

“Weren’t you scared of the rumours? You could have been attacked! In fact, you were attacked! You were shot with an arrow!”

“Yes and Trixie received her new, amazing powers from it, so if anything, Trixie should practise in dangerous places more often.”

Applejack was at her wit’s end. Trixie’s stubbornness was unshakable, but thankfully Trixie was kind enough to remember something peculiar during her time in the park. “Although, now that I think about it, something weird did happen to me.” She pondered.

“Well, what?”

“After I was shot, everything suddenly turned dark and this deep voice started talking to me about helping him achieve his goal or something. Trixie wasn’t really interested, but then he started getting aggressive and threatening me, however Trixie detests taking orders from others, let alone being threatened, so I sat on my stage, put up my barrier and refused to listen to him. And after a long stand off, he eventually left me alone.”

“I guess even the most powerful of villains have their limits, but what happened to the arrow?”

"Trixie threw it away."

"Of course you did. Do you at least remember anything he said to you?"

“I don’t know.” Trixie shrugged. “Trixie wasn’t interested, so Trixie didn’t listen.”

She may be the most painful person on the planet to interrogate, but Trixie didn’t sound like she was lying and her story lined up with what Rainbow Dash found out, but there was still one last thing bothering Applejack. 

“Wait, so you’re not working for this shady guy after all?”

“Trixie works only for herself.”

“Well, why the heck did you attack me then!? I thought you were trying to off me!”

“Off you? I just thought it’d be funny to make you look like an idiot in front of my adoring fans.” 

“You, what!?”

“And when I saw that you had a Stand, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a Stand battle in front of a live audience. People will be talking about this show for weeks!”

“You mean that was all just for your dumb show!? Even the knives and the cannon!?”

“Oh, please. They were just magical duplicates. I can’t actually hurt anyone with them, just rough them up a bit. Still, those fireworks should have at least left you a smoking mess. I swear you must have cheated or something.” 

Applejack’s patience had finally run out, she had enough of Trixie’s complaining and just wanted to go home. This was all feeling like a complete waste of time. She was about to leave when someone caught her attention.

“Wait! Come back!” A pained voice cried out.

“Was that you?” Applejack asked Trixie.

“No!” She replied, offended that she’d ever cry to Applejack for help.

“Behind the curtain.” The voice asked.

The bed next to Trixie’s was occupied as well, but the girls didn’t notice since the curtains were closed around it. Applejack pulled the curtains back to find a girl lying in bed, bandaged from head to toe. She was in much worse shape than Trixie. 

“Whoa, who are you?” Applejack asked.

“Name’s, Lightning Dust.” She answered.

“Lightning Dust? Aren’t you the Stand user who fought Rainbow Dash? Wow, she must have really done a number on you.” Applejack chuckled.

“Rainbow Dash didn’t do this.”

“What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I was attacked by someone else."

"What? Who?"

"I don't know..."

"Oh... well see ya, then."

Applejack was about to leave when the girl cried out to her again.

"Please, wait! You gotta hear me out!"

Applejack was cautious, she was technically their enemy and could be lying. "And why should I?"

“Because I'm scared.”

"Scared?" The look in Lightning's eyes were of desperation and fear, she was genuinely frightened of something. "What happened to you?"

“After my fight with Rainbow Dash I was hanging around Canterlot High. I was just thinking about what to do next when I was hit by some kind of magic, or energy or something, but suddenly, out of nowhere, I was engulfed in a tornado. After that I blacked out, apparently some students found me and rushed me to the hospital, with cuts all over my body. I never saw my attacker...”

“Well, that’s what happens when you hang around bad guys like that, they’re bound to betray you sooner or later.”

“That’s not even the worst part. Being attacked by my own powers was bad enough, but what was really terrifying was that as soon as I woke up, I couldn’t use them anymore. I think the person who attacked me stole my Stand!"
> Part 7-1: No Mercy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a room devoid of all light, a lone man sat quietly, thinking to himself, contemplating what his next move should be. He switched on a small monitor on his table. Despite the monitor's illuminating glow, its light reached no further than a few inches, as if the surrounding darkness consumed the rest, keeping the man hidden in shadows. The monitor showed live footage of Sunset and her friends practicing with their Stand powers after another day of school. 

“Yo!” Cried Gilda in a gruff tone. “You spying on Dash and her friends on that small TV again?”

The man didn’t answer.

“The silent treatment... man, all you do is sit around watching that thing, like a creepy weirdo. Are we actually going to do something or what?”

Still no answer.

“The least you could do is open some curtains.”

Still silent.

“Hey! Are you-” Gilda suddenly stopped. The moment she tried to approach the man, her legs were frozen in place, as if something had clutched onto them, but the room was so dark she couldn’t even see her own feet, let alone what was trapping them. She figured the man wasn’t in the mood for small talk and promptly backed off. 

“I’m just sick of sitting around doing nothing, especially now that we’ve lost the arrow. It’s so obvious that Sunset girl has it, so just let me go get it back. I’ll be in and out in, like, five minutes!” Gilda offered, growing impatient.

Once again, the man gave no answer.

“Oh, whatever! I’ll just go fight them now! It’s better than sitting around here all day, accomplishing nothing.”

“You won’t win.” The man spoke, in a cold tone.

“What was that?”

“If you wish to retrieve the arrow, then go right ahead, but you can't beat them.”

“Can't beat them?” Gilda was offended, like the man was implying she couldn’t trust her to get the job done. She despised people underestimating her abilities. “I’ll do a way better job than the those other chuckleheads did!”

“You can’t win.” The man repeated. 

“What!? You think I'm gonna fight them all at once!? Like I'm stupid!? Well, you won't be thinking that when you're begging for the arrow back!” Gilda stormed out of the room in resentment, wondering why she even put up with the man’s cryptic instructions and anti-social nature. 

Once Gilda left, the man returned to monitoring Sunset and her friends, plotting his next move. “These girls. They’re strong, but are they strong enough?” The man leaned back in his chair in thought. “I should continue monitoring their progress before I jump to any conclusions, wouldn't want to reveal my hand too soon.” 

The man continued with his observations. Silently watching from the shadows, biding his time. However, as he felt around his table, he noticed something was amiss. “It seems one of my subordinates has borrowed my notes.” The man chuckled to himself. “The one time I jot down my thoughts and they're immediately stolen. If this thief is so eager, then I'll have to monitor them, too. They can figure out the puzzle for me.”

Just outside the school, in an open field, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy were practicing with their Stands while Sunset watched. The girls were desperately trying to get Fluttershy to fight with her Stand but she refused. 

“Come on, Fluttershy.” Applejack insisted. “All you gotta do is punch that tree.”

“N-no thanks...” She whimpered. “Maybe this wasn’t a very good idea, I should just go home.” Fluttershy was more nervous than usual. She attempted to weasel her way out of her training by slowly backing away, but Dash’s Ride on Time pushed her back in from behind, causing her to let out a scared squeak.

“Where do you think your going?” Rainbow Dash asked with an amused look.

In an attempt to encourage Fluttershy, Applejack gave her a demonstration of what she was looking for. “Just watch me, okay?” 

Her Stand pummeled the trunk of the tree, chipping away at the bark. “See that? Just do what I did.”

“But, why?”

“It’s just so we can gauge how strong your Stand is.” 

“Just watch me!” Dash interrupted, dying to show off her own Stand’s strength. Ride on Time slashed away, stripping the bark from the tree, effortlessly. “Pretty strong, right?” 

Preoccupied by her own awesomeness, Dash failed to realise that her Stand’s attacks hacked off too much and after a loud crack, the tree tumbled over. Dash looked up, petrified by the sight of the tree that was about to topple onto her. She braced herself but nothing happened, as Fluttershy’s Stand, Freesia, caught the tree by the trunk, holding it up with just one hand.

Applejack was impressed, this was exactly the kind of strength she was looking for. “See! I knew you had it in you! But why didn’t you just attack it like I told you to?”

Freesia casually tossed the tree aside as Fluttershy explained. “I don’t really like fighting, or hurting people.”

“But, you fought Bulk?”

“I know and I feel just awful about what I did. It wasn’t his fault he attacked us. I feel like such a bully.”

The girls sighed, it seemed Fluttershy had a long way to go. 

Sunset rushed over to the girls after hearing all the noise. “What happened?” 

“Rainbow Dash nearly crushed herself with a tree, you know, the usual.” Applejack answered, with Dash blowing a raspberry. Sunset was just relieved no one was hurt. 

The girls continued their attempts to train Fluttershy, but elsewhere, in the hallways of Canterlot High, Gilda had slipped into the school unnoticed. With no students left wandering it’s halls, she was free to causally examine each locker at her own pace. 

Although her investigation for the Unicorn Arrow had only just started, she was confident Sunset had left it sitting in her locker, hoping it was hidden in plain sight. She checked each locker for any tell-tale signs of their owner. She found one covered in cute, pink stickers of cakes, sweets and other treats, just looking at it irritated her for some reason.

Eventually, she came across a locker with a lone red and yellow sun sticker on it. No doubt, this was Sunset’s. The locker was obviously locked, but Gilda had her patented lock picking technique. She gave herself some space, pulled back her leg and mercilessly kicked the locker door repeatedly until the lock broke. The door sluggishly swung open, just barely hanging onto its hinges.

She scanned the inside of the locker, but only found a collection of boring possessions like photos of her friends, a weird notebook addressed to some princess and a book on building self-esteem. None of it interested her, what really drew Gilda’s attention was the bag sitting at the foot of the locker. She rummaged through it, finding exactly what she was looking for. 

“Jackpot!” She cried in triumph, pulling out the Unicorn Arrow. “Well, that was easy, but I ain’t complaining, in and out, just like I said.” 

Unbeknownst to Gilda, something was watching her from the ceiling and upon witnessing her stealing the Unicorn Arrow, it sprung into action. 

Gilda heard something drop down onto the floor from behind her, but before she could turn around, it grabbed her from behind, locking her in a full-nelson. 

“What the heck is this thing!?” Gilda struggled, but it had her arms and legs locked in place, she wasn’t going anywhere.

Back in the field, Sunset suddenly felt a little fatigued. Rainbow Dash took notice of her sudden dazed expression. “Woah, Sunset. You feeling alright? You’re looking a little woozy, there.”

“Ugh, I feel like there's a ton of pressure being pushed against my body.”

“Did you not get enough sleep last night?”

“No, I...oh!” Sunset remembered. “My Stand!”

“What about it?”

“Sky Should Be High! I left it at my locker! I told it to make sure no one stole the arrow while we were out here!”

“Did you're Stand catch something?”

“Definitely, we need to get to my locker right now!” 

The girls rushed back to the school, although Sunset's daze was giving her some trouble. 
“Woah, there, had a little too much apple cider did we?” Applejack joked as she caught Sunset before she stumbled over and let her rest on her shoulder, as they hurried across the field.

Sunset was right, as soon as the girls arrived at her locker, they found Sky Should be High holding back Gilda, who was aggressively yelling at the Stand, tightly grasping the arrow.

“Gilda!?” Dash cried. “What are you doing here!?”

Gilda was shocked that Rainbow Dash and her friends even knew she was here to begin with. “What!? How did you find me!? You guys were over on the over side of the field!”

“It was my Stand!” Sunset explained. “Sky may not be able to do... well, anything. But at least it has a huge range to work with. I left Sky here to guard my locker while we were all busy with school. As soon as it catches someone, I can feel it, too.”

Gilda simply glared, she should have known they'd have something up their sleeve. 

Dash was concerned for her old friend, but she put on a brave face. “Gilda, just give the arrow back and we can let you go.”

“Oh, yeah? And what if I say no?”

Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy all summoned their Stands in response.

“Oh right, that...”

Handing over the arrow wasn’t an option and Gilda was determined to find a way out of this predicament. She desperately wanted to fight all four of them, believing she could defeat them all without trouble, but considering how tied up she was and that he was probably watching, she needed to escape instead.

She quickly noticed a fire extinguisher on the other side of the room, if she could nail it just right, it could make for the perfect cover. Gilda summoned her Stand, which appeared to be two, small, floating turrets, stylized to look like eagles. The turrets targeted the fire extinguisher and fired sharp, energy darts from their open beaks, like bullets from a rifle. The darts easily pierced the extinguisher, releasing a stream of white powder from the puncture.

The powder quickly filled the room with a white fog, blinding everyone. The girls coughed uncontrollably, they had to leave the area immediately before they suffocated, giving Gilda the perfect opportunity to make her escape in the opposite direction.

The girls ran outside, into the fresh air to recover, but they couldn’t see Gilda anywhere. In an act of quick thinking, Sunset used her Stand to fly high into the sky, to try and spot Gilda, she couldn’t have gotten very far. 

Dash stared up at Sky with amazement. “Wow, your Stand really does have huge range.”

“About the only thing it’s good for...” Sunset grumbled.

“Hey! Now don’t go saying stuff like that, or you’ll never figure out it’s real powers.” Applejack scolded.

“Right... sorry...”

Sky observed the surrounding area and was eventually able to pinpoint Gilda’s location. Sunset instinctively shared her vision with her Stand, seeing what it saw. 

“What is it?” Dash asked. “Can you see her?”

Dash’s question broke Sunset out of her trance as she realised what she and her Stand were doing. “Um... yeah... I can see her.”

“Wait?” Applejack asked. “You can see what your Stand sees?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t before, but it just sort of happened when I needed it to.”

“Well, what I tell ya? You’re already starting to figure it out.”

Applejack’s compliment made Sunset blush a little, but she quickly returned to looking for Gilda. 

“Oh, no...” She muttered.

“What? Where is she?”

“Well, she’s still got the arrow, but she’s heading for the park.”

“What!?” Applejack yelled. “That’s where I fought Trixie, yesterday!”

“Wait, you fought Trixie?” This was the first Sunset had heard of this. “Is Trixie a Stand user, too?”

“Aw, shoot. I knew there was something I was supposed to talk to ya’ll about today. I must've blocked it out.”

“You can’t just block out important details like that, AJ!”

"If you had to deal with Trixie, you'd block out those memories, too."

"Well, yeah, but she's still a Stand user!"

“We can talk about it later, but we need to catch Gilda first!”

“Alright, Rainbow Dash. You go catch up to Gilda.”

Dash reacted with sudden hostility. “What? Why do I have to go?”

“Because you’re the fastest out of all of us. You’ll catch up to her in no time.” Applejack explained.

“Also, your Stand would be a good match up against hers. Gilda’s Stand seems to focus on firing projectiles, close range, Stands like mine and Applejack’s would have a much tougher time dealing with her.” Sunset added.

"Sky is clearly not a close range Stand."

"It's not much of a fighter, either."

Dash continued with her excuses. “So? My Stand may be fast, but one wrong move and she could knock me out of the sky, it’s too risky.”

Sunset considered Dash’s assumption for a moment. “You may be right. Fluttershy, you go with her!”

“What!?” She squealed. “W-why do I have to go? I can’t fight.”

“You won’t have to, you just need to provide backup with your barriers.”

"Oh, well, when you put it that way..." Fluttershy suddenly perked up, she felt much more comfortable with protecting instead of attacking.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand, disagreed. “What? You can’t just drag Fluttershy into this, you know she hates fighting, right Fluttershy?”

“Actually, Rainbow Dash... I want to do this.”

“What? No you don’t. Don’t be stupid.”

Fluttershy put a determined face to hopefully convince Dash she was serious. “I really mean it. If my powers can help protect my friends from some horrible danger, then that’s what I’ll do, even if I’m scared.”

“Oh, come on. Of all the times for you to grow a backbone...”

Fluttershy quickly tugged on Rainbow Dash’s arm. ”Come on, if we don’t hurry up and catch her, she’ll get away!” Dash couldn’t bring herself to say no to Fluttershy, not when she was having one of her, rare, confident moments and so, was helplessly dragged along with her.

The remaining girls waved them off before Sunset turned to Applejack with a scowl. “And you! We’re going to see Rarity and Pinkie and have a little chat about what you got up to yesterday.”

“Oh, gimme a break...”

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived at Canterlot Park, but Gilda was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, Sunset wasn’t the only one with a flying Stand, Dash sent Ride on Time into the sky to find Gilda. The park was quite large, with the back end leading into a forest, with most visitors sticking to the main path to avoid getting lost in the woods. 

Ride on Time spotted Gilda amidst the trees, but didn’t share Sky’s sight sharing power and instead signaled to Dash and Fluttershy to Gilda’s whereabouts. The girls followed the signal and headed into the forest only to be presented with another problem. The forest was thick, they still couldn’t see Gilda anywhere nor could they see Ride’s signals with the trees blocking their view. Dash had no choice but to return her Stand and the girls searched on foot.

Seeing how thick the forest was and what little time they had, Dash came up with a plan. “Alright, Fluttershy, if we’re gonna find Gilda, then we’ll need to split up.”

“What? Why?” Fluttershy asked, distressed by the very idea of being left alone in the woods.

“It’ll be faster.”

“I thought we were supposed to stick together? We’ll stand a better chance of winning if it’s two on one.” 

“W-well, maybe...” Dash needed to separate from Fluttershy, not because she thought she was a detriment, but for a more personal matter she needed to attend to, something she wanted to do on her own. 

“I mean, you’re not scared of being on your own are you?” She poked, hoping it would trigger Fluttershy to be more brave.

“Y-yes! Please don’t go.”

Not the answer Dash was expecting. “What happened to all the confidence from earlier?”

“I-I think I left it at school, maybe we should go back and get it.”

“Fluttershy, it’s not enough to just act confident. You gotta stay strong no matter what.”

Fluttershy simply meeped to herself. 

“Come on, Flutters. How can you be scared when you’ve got something as powerful as Freesia protecting you?”

On cue, Freesia appeared above Fluttershy, resting a hand on her shoulder. For some reason, her Stand’s presence made her feel less anxious. It was like she had her own personal guardian angel watching over her. Perhaps she did have the confidence to stand on her own.

“A-alright, we can split up.” Fluttershy spoke up, with gusto.

“Are you sure?” Dash asked, having second thoughts.

“I’ll be fine.” 

Dash took Fluttershy at her word and the two separated. 

Fluttershy kept her Stand out at all times to watch over her, as she jogged through the forest, searching for Gilda. Suddenly, Freesia’s attention was drawn to something, as it came to a complete stop. Due to it’s short range, Fluttershy was helplessly yanked back toward her Stand.

She followed Freesia’s line of sight to see where it was looking. She spotted an old, abandoned cottage, hidden away and forgotten in the middle of the woods. It gave off an eerie presence, like it were haunted. Despite the numerous thoughts of ghosts and monsters that could possibly be lurking in the abandoned house, Fluttershy knew it was something she had to investigate, it was simply too suspicious to ignore.

She cautiously approached the house, taking care not to make too much noise, but as she got closer, her breathing started getting heavier and her heart pounded more wildly. She made it to the front door and was about to grab the handle, when something caught her off guard, overwhelming her.

Her vision of the door and all of her surroundings suddenly faded, consumed by a monstrous shadow. Even though she was petrified, Fluttershy was certain she hadn’t fainted as she could still see her Stand, but that’s all she saw. The rest was a black abyss. 

She didn’t understand what was happening. Was she still in the forest, inside the house or somewhere else entirely? Fluttershy's anxiety grew worse by the second, she tried calling for help, but no one answered. She tried to run, but didn't go anywhere. She couldn’t hear or see anything, she was trapped.

Fluttershy felt like she was going to be stranded in this void forever, but just then, a dark figure manifested in front of her. It looked as if it were made of dark mist and tar as it rose from the floor and morphed into a human shape. It’s body was mostly featureless, like a silhouette, but it did have a distinct, piercing red eye on it’s face and look, flowing black tendrils for hair. This only terrified Fluttershy further. 

The creature reached out to her, but only got so far as tapping her forehead before Freesia jumped in and pummeled it with it’s powerful fists. The creature retreated as it melted away again, but the torment was far from over, as Fluttershy started hearing voices, echoing from all directions. 

The voices called out to her, as they drew closer. Out from the darkness, Fluttershy’s friends appeared. 

“Girls! I’m so glad you found me! Where are we? What is this place?!” She cried, relieved that friends arrived in the nick of time. 

“Geez, Fluttershy. Why are you so useless?” Rainbow Dash complained in disgust.

“What?”

Applejack added her own comments. “Weren’t you and Rainbow Dash supposed to fight together? You couldn’t even stick with her for five minutes?”

“But, she’s right over...”

“And look at what you did!” Sunset ranted. “You just walked right into some dark dimension and now you're trapped! What were you doing? What were you thinking!?”

“I was just trying to...”

Even Pinkie was mad. “She’s right, you know. What were you doing? You couldn’t even defend yourself! What are you, an idiot!?”

“I-I’m not an... idiot...”

Rarity sternly paced around Fluttershy. “Honestly, Fluttershy. Maybe you should have stayed home. You’re much more suited to cowering under your bed than helping us, or are you too scared of the monsters hiding under there as well?”

“But I... want to... help...” Fluttershy felt emotionally drained, as her friends continued hurling abuse at her, their voices growing louder. Calling her worthless, pathetic and useless. 

Fluttershy didn’t understand what she did wrong, she pleaded them to stop, but they ignored her. Their insults were too much for her to bare, as she fell to her knees, trying to hold back her tears for as long as she could. All she could do was apologise.

She apologised over and over again, but nothing happened. She felt completely hopeless as the darkness slowly began to swallow her. Just then, a miracle occurred. A bright light broke through the darkness and melted away the evil thoughts that were plaguing her. The light was intense, but also strangely warm and familiar. All Fluttershy could make out in the blinding light, were what appeared to be, angel wings. 

The light melted away the darkness and consumed Fluttershy. After whiting out for what seemed mere moments, her vision returned as she found herself in the middle of the park, by the Time Dial, as if nothing had happened.

Fluttershy observed her surroundings, she wasn’t sure what happened, but she at least wanted to thank whatever saved her, but it seemed they had already left. She thought about the experience she just had and quickly realised that the friends she saw in that dark dimension were fakes, like she just woke up from a bad dream. There was no way her real friends would ever think of her as useless. Still, even if they were fakes, the dark dimension itself felt too real. 

Just who or what could have possibly created such a nightmarish space?
> Part 7-2: No Mercy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash searched the forest, running around aimlessly for Gilda. She wasn’t putting much thought into her search, instead trying to cover as much ground as possible, as quickly as possible, while keeping her wits about her. Eventually, she managed to stumble across Gilda, who was taking cover behind a tree, still holding the arrow.

Dash took cover as well, as she tried to come up with a plan without being spotted. Her thinking time was cut short however, when the tree she was hiding behind was shredded apart by what sounded like gunfire, forcing her out into the open.

“Come on, Dash.” Gilda sighed. “You really think I didn’t notice you running around like an idiot?”

Dash was a little flustered from being discovered so easily, but also from meeting her old friend again. “Oh... hi, Gilda. How have you been?”

“What are you doing, Dash?” Gilda asked, seeing straight through Dash’s act.

“Oh, you know. I’m just... going for a walk... in the woods.... by myself.... that’s a thing people do, right?”

Gilda wasn’t buying it. She didn’t even need to say anything. She just crossed her arms and waited for Dash to tell the truth.

“Alright, fine! Can you just give me the arrow back?”

“No.”

“Gilda, please. Don’t make this any more awkward than it needs to be!”

“No.”

“But, why?”

“My boss needs it.”

“........but, why?”

“I don’t know! I guess he just doesn’t want you to have it!”

“..................but-”

“No, stop talking.”

Gilda’s stubborn aggressiveness made talking impossible. She never used to be this hostile, not to Rainbow Dash at least. 

“What happened to you, Gilda? Ever since you went to Crystal Prep, we hardly talk and now you’re even mopier than ever.”

“I’ve always been like this.”

“Well, not to me!”

“Dash, I’m warning you. Leave now or I'll show you, No Mercy!”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Dash smiled as she summoned her Stand, hoping a fight might help them blow off some steam. 

“You asked for this! Here’s No Mercy!” Gilda responded by summoning her own Stand. 

Dash paused for a moment pondering Gilda's strange wording.

Gilda, timidly explained. “I-it was a pun, my Stand is called No Mercy.”

Dash stifled a laugh. “At least your jokes are just as bad as ever.”

“Mock me all you want, Dash, but the boss already showed me how your Stand works. I could shoot you out of the sky in one shot!”

“Oh yeah! Well, it’s gonna take a lot more than some nerf guns to take me down!” Dash boasted, of course, what she was really thinking was: “She’s totally right, without Fluttershy, her Stand is the perfect counter pick to mine. I might get a couple cheap shots in, but I saw how fast, strong and accurate No Mercy was when she attacked that fire extinguisher, she’ll take me out in one shot. Which means, I’ll have to use my backup plan!”

“Gilda!” Dash declared. “Your boss may have shown you how my Stand works, but can you honestly say you know all of it’s powers?”

“What are you talking about? Are you being stupid, again?”

“You’re the only stupid one here, since there’s one thing about my Stand you still don’t know about!”

Gilda was skeptical and called Dash out on her bluff. “You’re lying, your Stand doesn’t have any other powers.”

“Oh, but it does. It’s my secret technique.” 

Rainbow Dash got into position, turned 180 degrees and yelled: “RUN AWAY!” Bolting into the forest.

Gilda was dumbstruck, but quickly gave chase. Unfortunately, Dash wasn’t the fastest runner at Canterlot High for nothing and Gilda lost her almost immediately. “Dash, you coward! I know you’re still here!” 

She was right, Rainbow Dash was hiding in the bushes, she knew using such a ridiculous tactic would anger Gilda enough to make her give chase, but it didn’t take Gilda long to work out the true motive behind Dash’s secret technique. 

“Nice try, Dash!” She called. “But I know you’re using a long range Stand! You’re planning to ambush me with it the moment I let my guard down, right?”

“Oh no, did she find me already?” Dash thought.

“In that case, let’s see how you handle my secret technique!” Gilda summoned her Stand once more, only instead of two turrets appearing over her shoulders, ten turrets appeared around her waist. “I’m gonna tear this forest apart!”

Although they were stationary, her turrets fired darts in all directions, ripping apart the trees and bushes surrounding her. Dash ducked for cover and waited for Gilda to calm down as she tried to plan her next move.

Gilda eventually ceased fire. With less trees and bushes blocking her view it didn’t take long for her to notice a certain, rainbow patterned boot sticking out from a bush. She crept up quietly, to not bring attention to herself and yanked the boot out. She was hoping to drag Rainbow Dash out into the open, but all she found was her boot. 

“Wait, what?” Gilda mumbled, dumbstruck again by Dash’s bizarre actions. In the brief moment Gilda was occupied, something flew at her at an incredible speed. She turned, but by the time she saw it coming, it was already too late. Ride on Time tackled Gilda at full speed, winding her, it then took the opportunity to steal the arrow and the boot away from her and delivered them back to Dash. 

Gilda clutched at her stomach, but soon started recovering. “That was a dirty trick, Dash. Not that I expected any better from you.”

Dash simply smirked.

“But this isn’t over, I can still shoot you from here.”

“Hold up there, bird brain! If you do that, you might risk shooting the arrow and your boss wouldn’t like that, would he?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to aim for your face!”

“Argh!” Dash was cornered now. She knew how to get the arrow back, but she had no idea how to escape with it. Freesia’s barriers would really come in handy right about now, but she still had one, final play left. “What I meant to say was, if you try to shoot me, then I’ll... stab myself with the arrow again!”

“Dash, don’t be stupid!”

It was just a hunch, but Gilda’s reaction was confirmation enough. “Why? Are you scared? I bet something crazy will happen if a Stand user stabs themselves with the arrow a second time.”

“Don’t do it!”

Dash couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen and so, she pulled her arm back and dug the arrow right into her shoulder. 

It hurt.

It really hurt.

It hurt way more than it did the first time.

In fact, the pain was unbearable, as the wound started bleeding. Last time, it only lasted for an instant, before the magic took over, but now it really felt like she just stabbed herself. Gilda felt ashamed that she was outsmarted by someone this stupid. 

“AAAAAAAAH! OH NO! HOLY, SON OF A-! WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH!?”

As Dash continued writhing in pain, screaming at the top of her lungs, Gilda casually strolled up to her and punched her right in the gut, knocking her unconscious. “Dash... you idiot...”

Fluttershy frantically searched for Rainbow Dash in the forest, she could hear them fighting in the distance, but once she caught the sound of Dash screaming in agony, she desperately sped up, using the sound of her friend's screams to guide her. 

She eventually came across all the damage to the trees and earth that Gilda had left behind. Realising she was getting close, Fluttershy slowed down and gently snuck around the area, hoping she wouldn’t cause a disturbance that would give away her position. 

Unfortunately, Gilda’s eagle eyes spotted her immediately. She fired a couple of warning darts as Fluttershy dived behind a tree. Although she was shaking with fear she needed to see if her friend was okay and so she put up a barrier and forced herself up. Gilda was hoping her warning shots would scare her off, but it seemed she wasn’t aggressive enough. She fired a few more shots, but they bounced off of Freesia’s barrier.

Gilda was taken aback. Her Stand had enough firepower to tear down a concrete wall, but Fluttershy of all people was able to deflect it? Something wasn’t right. 

“Hey!” She called to Fluttershy. “Could you get lost already? I’ve got business to take care of, I don’t need some cry baby poking around, making me feel awkward!”

Fluttershy tried to ignore the insult to focus on the task at hand. “Where is Rainbow Dash?” She asked.

Gilda cupped her hand around her ear as she leaned toward Fluttershy. “What was that?”

“Um, I-I’m asking where Rainbow Dash... is...”

“What!? Speak up, I can’t hear you!”

Fluttershy tried raising her voice. “I-I said, where’s Rainbow Dash!?”

“Oh? Dash? I don’t know, maybe she left you behind?”

“Dash wouldn’t do something like that! Not on purpose at least...”

“Really? I beg to differ...”

Fluttershy was confused. She didn’t understand why Gilda was being so indirect. If she really wanted her to leave she could have just lied, but instead she just made fun of her and gave non-answers. Fluttershy just wanted to take her friend home.

The girls were at a stalemate as they both waited for the other to make the next move. Fluttershy knew the situation wouldn’t go anywhere if she got aggressive, so instead she thought the best course of action was to show Gilda a little kindness. She dropped her barrier and retracted her Stand. 

Gilda was suspicious, there was no way Fluttershy would leave herself wide open without some sort of backup plan. 

“What are you doing?”

“To be honest, I don’t really like fighting and I’m not here to hurt anyone. I just came here to help my friend. I’ll even let you keep the arrow, as long as we can leave safely.” 

With a warm smile, Fluttershy hoped she could walk over to Gilda without antagonising her, only for Gilda to fire another shot. This one passed right by Fluttershy’s face, leaving a bleeding cut on her cheek. 

Gilda was noticeably flustered by Fluttershy’s sudden change of heart. “What the heck is wrong with you? Are you an idiot?”

Fluttershy was suddenly reminded of her horrible nightmare from earlier, but she couldn’t let that get to her, not when her real friend was in danger, if anything, the insults started to make her a little mad. “No, I’m not! I just don’t want to hurt anyone! Why can’t you understand that!?” 

“Because that’s stupid! Our Stand powers are supposed to be used for fighting! And I’ll cut down anyone who get’s in my way, including you, if you don’t leave us alone!” 

Gilda became even more defensive, almost as if she was hiding something. Whatever it was, she clearly had no intention of talking about it. 

“I don’t know what I did to upset you, Gilda, but I’m giving you one last chance to give my friend back peacefully.”

“Last chance? Or what, are you gonna squeak at me some more?”

“No, I-I’ll fight you!”

Gilda burst into laughter, she didn’t expect Fluttershy to be so hilariously hostile toward her. “You’re going to fight me? For real?” But after indulging herself with a hearty chuckle, there was a sudden, serious silence. “As if you’d ever have the guts to stand up to me. I don’t care if you’re Dash’s friend, I’ll put you down, little mouse.”

Fluttershy accepted her challenge and took a step closer to Gilda. True to her word, Gilda unleashed a barrage of bullets at Fluttershy, but Freesia quickly emerged and deflected the gunfire with its barrier. Gilda continued her assault, but she couldn’t breakthrough Freesia’s barrier. 

“What the heck is going on?” Gilda thought. “How is she this strong? It’s just Fluttershy. The cry baby, the wimp, she’s always been a push over. Something’s not right about this.”

As Fluttershy got closer, Gilda panicked. In a desperate ploy to gain some kind of advantage, she grabbed the unconscious Rainbow Dash lying in the bushes next to her and fired some shots at the dirt to cover her escape. 

Freesia swatted the dirt away before it blinded Fluttershy. Gilda was able to gain some distance, but there wasn’t anywhere close by to hide, since she had already destroyed a portion of the forest earlier. Once the dust cleared, Fluttershy finally found Rainbow Dash, who was lying beside Gilda. She was horrified when she noticed the bleeding wound on Dash’s shoulder. 

“What did you do to her!?”

“Hey!” Gilda yelled defensively. “All I did was knock her out, this idiot stabbed herself!”

“Why aren’t you helping her!? She’s still bleeding!”

“Because you keep distracting me! Just go away!”

“I am not leaving her behind! Just cover her wound with something!”

“No way! I don’t trust you! The moment I turn my back you’ll try to attack me!”

Fluttershy had never been so angry with someone before. Gilda was acting completely irrational. If she did just leave, Gilda would probably help her, but who knows what else she might do, Gilda was clearly acting strange. Fluttershy would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to her friend, all because she left her behind, she promised to protect Rainbow Dash and that’s exactly what she was going to do.

Fluttershy took a step forward only for Gilda to immediately open fire. Freesia used it’s barrier to shield Fluttershy from the darts once again, which only added to Gilda’s fears. Fluttershy’s shield seemed impenetrable, she needed a change in tactics.

She pointed one of No Mercy’s turrets at Rainbow Dash. “Stop, right there! Come any closer and I-I’ll shoot!”

Fluttershy froze on the spot. “What!? You can’t be serious!? How can you even think of doing such a horrible thing!?”

“Because... Shut up!” 

“Why are you doing this!? Is something wrong!? Did I do something to you!? I’m sorry if I did!”

“Stop apologising! Just get lost!”

“There is something wrong with you, isn’t there. I can help you!”

Gilda pointed a third and fourth turret at Fluttershy, insulted by her helpful gesture. That’s when Fluttershy finally figured it out. Gilda was suffering and that suffering was causing her irrational behaviour, but she could use this to her advantage as a way to save herself and Rainbow Dash. She didn’t want to do it, but sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind. 

“GILDA!” Fluttershy screamed. “I may be scared, scared of fighting and hurting, but you know what? At least I’m not a coward! A coward who hides behind a bad attitude so she doesn’t have to deal with people or face her fears!”

“Are you calling me a coward!? That's rich coming from you!”

“Maybe so, but at least I face my fears, instead of telling them to "get lost"! I’ve done nothing wrong and neither has Rainbow Dash! You’re the one who’s afraid you’ll be left behind and forgotten. You're the one who thinks Dash’s new friends are going to take her away from you!”

“Shut up!”

“That’s why you attacked me and the others. You want to get rid of Rainbow Dash’s new friends so you're the only one she has left! All because you’re too afraid to just talk to her! Well, if that’s how it’s going to be, then shoot me! Shoot me with everything you’ve got!”

“If I did that, I’d destroy you!”

“I’m not afraid of your threats, Gilda! You won't destroy me! I’m going to march right up there, save my friend and get the arrow back and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

“Fine! But don’t blame me if you end up dead!” Gilda’s anger reached it’s limit. She summoned all ten of No Mercy’s turrets and unleashed her entire arsenal of darts on Fluttershy, all at once. Freesia kept its barrier up as Fluttershy walked through the storm of gunfire. 

Despite Freesia’s strength, Gilda’s gunfire was extremely tenacious, her rage supplied her turrets with as much ammo as she needed to whittle away at the barrier. As the pressure from Gilda’s onslaught built up, Freesia’s barrier became more difficult to maintain. Fluttershy herself was showing signs of fatigue as cuts started ripping on various parts of her body and yet, she pressed on. 

Gilda had used so much of her Stand’s power that her body was starting to feel heavy, but she refused to give in. Fluttershy marched through Gilda’s blizzard of bullets even though every fiber of her being screamed not to, for fear of collapsing from exhaustion. She marched and marched, despite the pain she was bearing, until she finally came face-to-face with Gilda herself. 

At this point, Fluttershy had moved passed the turrets and Gilda was simply too weakened to focus all ten of them on Fluttershy, without accidentally shooting herself in the process. Even if she could, she was out of ammo, her rage had passed, replaced with fatigue and fear as Fluttershy and Freesia loomed over her. 

With its barrier down, Freesia was free to attack Gilda directly. It raised its powerful arm, ready for a finishing blow as Gilda braced herself. It released a massive punch that came crashing down, shaking the earth as it connected with the ground. 

However, Gilda was left unharmed, as Freesia raised its fist out of the dirt beside her. She opened her eyes to find Fluttershy smiling, reaching out her hand, ready to help Gilda up whenever she was. 

“You didn’t finish me off?” Gilda muttered.

“I told you. I don’t really like fighting.”

“But... then, why did you yell at me like that?”

“I was worried about what you would do to Rainbow Dash, so I tried to direct all your anger over to me instead.”

“But, what about your own body? I just ended up hurting you instead!”

“Oh, they’re just scratches, I’m sure they’ll heal up in no time.” Although, Fluttershy wasn't exactly in peak condition either, Gilda's Stand really tired her out.

“I don’t understand. Why did I even do all this?”

Fluttershy thought that was an odd question. Surely Gilda must of had some understanding of her actions. “Maybe you were just scared of losing your friend?” She rationalised.

“Well, yeah, that’s true, but I’ve never been that violent before, but ever since I got my Stand, I felt all this sudden aggression building up inside me. I wanted my friend back, sure, but I never would have wanted things to go this far...”

Fluttershy comforted Gilda with a hug, but also thought about her last statement. It was possible that something caused her emotions to run wild after she received her Stand. Was it related to the nightmare she saw earlier? 

“Um, Fluttershy.” Gilda asked. “You can let go now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry...”

“Aww, ain’t that cute.” Said a sarcastic voice below them.

“Rainbow Dash? You’re awake!?” Cried Fluttershy.

Gilda checked Dash’s body. “Are you okay?”

“Other than this hole in shoulder, yeah I’m good.”

“We should get that checked right away.” Fluttershy insisted.

“Don’t worry about it.” Gilda assured. “Wounds from the arrow heal pretty quickly. Look it’s already stopped bleeding.”

Although she was relieved her friend was safe, there was something Fluttershy needed to ask her. “Rainbow Dash, have you been awake this entire time?”

“Not the entire time. Honestly, I’m not really sure what just happened, but seeing you walk through Gilda’s bullets like they were nothing was freaking awesome!”

Fluttershy blushed as Gilda helped Dash to her feet. She apologised for the damage she caused and to prove she was truly sorry, she returned the Unicorn Arrow. 

Dash was shocked that she gave up the arrow so easily. “Gilda. Don’t you need this, I don’t want you getting in trouble because of us.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m done working for that guy. I’m never going back.”

“Why did you work for him in the first place?”

“When I was shot by the arrow and received my Stand, I had no idea what was happening, but suddenly, everything went dark and that creepy, shadow dude appeared. I tried to fight him but his shadow fought back. It was like I was fighting fog and I lost...

I don’t know how he knew, but he started talking about how lonely I was feeling and that he could help me. He said there were others like me, others with these powers. For some reason I believed him and I used my powers to help him and his allies. 

I didn’t really care for the other Stand users he gathered, but when I found out you had a Stand too, I thought that we could work together and I wouldn’t be so lonely any more, but it was obvious that you would never betray your friends just for me and I guess, that just made me even more lonely and angry. 

But, now I know. I know he really was just using me. He didn’t care about my feelings at all! Well, I don’t need some shady guy hiding in some run-down old building to tell me what to do! I don’t need anyone telling me what to do! NO ONE TELLS GILDA WHAT TO DO!”

“Uh, Gilda.” Dash intervened. “You’re getting angry again.”

Gilda quickly regained her composure. “Sorry... honestly, I just wanna hang out with you again. So, can we?”

“Of course we can, ya big goof! All you had to do was ask!” Dash reached for hug and noogied Gilda’s head. “Although, to be honest, I was kinda scared of talking to you too, so I guess we’re both goofs.”

The knowledge that Dash was just as dumb as she was made Gilda feel better, she even smiled a little.

“Isn’t it weird that he had that much power over you, though?” Fluttershy thought aloud.

“Yeah.” Gilda agreed. “I wasn’t kidding when I said he was dangerous. None of us really understand how his powers work.”

“You said he was hiding in a run down house, right? I saw something just like that earlier!”

“There’s only one place like it in this forest, so, yeah. That’s his hideout.”

Dash felt a sudden fiery urge to kick some shadowy butt. “Alright! Then let’s go pay him a visit, right now! Come on, Fluttershy!” She stormed off, ready to face the man who dared mess with her friends.

Fluttershy prepared to follow after her. “Um, I guess I should stop her, before something bad happens. Will you be okay, Gilda?”

“Yeah, I just need some time to think.”

The girls went their separate ways. Gilda wandered through the forest as she thought about what she wanted to do with herself next. Maybe, instead of fighting against Dash and her friends, she could work with them. Her thoughts were soon interrupted when she bumped into a familiar face. “Oh, hey. If it isn't the little diva. What do you want?”

Fluttershy followed after Rainbow Dash and calmed her down, fighting the shadow man now, after they just fought Gilda was way too dangerous. They got the arrow back and that’s all they needed for now. However, Dash at least managed to convince Fluttershy to show her where his hideout was. 

Fluttershy directed Dash to the location of the house, it was hard to forget since it was in a small clearing, the real challenge was finding the clearing.

"Are you sure it was around here?" Dash asked impatiently.

"Yes, I-I think?" 

"You think?"

"Well, technically, Freesia was the one who found it. Maybe she knows where it is, right?"

Fluttershy turned to her Stand hoping it could point them in the right direction and end their confusion. It scanned the surrounding area, but it couldn't see anything through all the thick trees and so, it simply shrugged.

"Did your Stand just shrug?"

"Um, I guess she doesn't remember, either..." Fluttershy felt disappointed in herself, she can still remember the house clearly, but now she couldn't find it anywhere.

"Don't worry about it." Dash reassured her. "We can always come back some other time, for now let's just-"

Suddenly, the girls heard an explosion from deep in the forest as strong gale force winds blew past them.

“What the heck was that?” Dash yelled.

Rainbow Dash immediately ran toward the sound of the explosion, with Fluttershy following close behind. It took them a few minutes, but what they eventually found was total chaos. The area around them had been completely torn apart, with debris from trees and bushes scattered everywhere.

Lying in the center of all the carnage, buried under bark and leaves was Gilda, unconscious and bleeding everywhere.
> Part 8-1: A Bizarre Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Rarity, please! Everyone else is busy!” Sunset pleaded. 

After being turned down by all of her friends, she came to Rarity’s house in a final attempt at seeking help.

“I’m sorry, Sunset, but the Summer Costume Contest is tomorrow and I must have my outfit finished in time.”

“But, you’ve been working on that thing all week!”

“Indeed and I intend to use all of my time to continue working until it’s finished.”

“The contest can’t possibly be that important!”

“You bite your tongue!" Rarity gasped, astonished. "This could be the most important day of my fashion career! It will finally be my big chance to impress Sassy Saddles, one of the fashion world’s elites! Being noticed by her could present me with amazing opportunities in the future!"

Rarity could barely contain her giddiness at the thought, which wasn't helping Sunset.

“But, we need to figure out how to deal with those other Stand users! I need someone to investigate with me!”

“Why are you investigating now, of all times?”

“A lot of stuff has happened in the past few days. I can’t sit back and wait any more!”

“Were you not the one who advised us to sit back and wait in the first place?”

Sunset remembered, but she didn't have the time, nor the patience to argue. “Don’t you care at all about helping your friends?”

Rarity convulsed at the mere suggestion that she was acting uncaring and was quite offended. “Of course I care! Don’t try to make me feel bad just because you’re stressing out, again!”

Her words seemed harsh, but Sunset quickly realised that freaking out and hurling accusations around wasn't the smartest way of getting her point across and calmed herself down. 

“I’m... sorry. I’ve just been on edge lately. Like something bad might happen if we sit around waiting for too long. We still don’t know what these Stand users want yet. What if they achieve their goal before we can do anything to stop it? What if they already have achieved their goal and we won't even be aware of it until it's too late? What if-”

“Sunset, please!” Rarity intervened before Sunset trailed off on another tangent. “I understand, but you mustn’t lose your composure. How do you expect to protect the town if you’re constantly panicking all the time?”

“But, what if there’s another incident and were not there to stop it?”

“We can’t be everywhere at once, darling. If something happens then we’ll deal with it in the moment like we always have.”

“But, what if we’re too late?”

“Well... then, we’ll just do what we can. It’s not like we can turn back time.”

“I guess...” Sunset understood, there was no point in getting hung up on “what if’s” and “maybe’s”, but she still couldn’t shake off her unease.

Rarity couldn’t bare to see her friend looking so depressed and hoped she could cheer her up, even just a little. “Um, Sunset. If it helps, I usually take a break in the evening, perhaps we can investigate, then?”

“Maybe, I'll call you later...” 

Sunset sulked away. There was only one place she could go to drown her sorrows, Sugarcube Cafe. She slumped into a seat, sipping on her milkshake as she gathered her thoughts on the various developments that had occurred over the past few days.

Rainbow Dash immediately headed for the hospital after school. The incident in the forest left Gilda with heavy injuries, but thankfully, they weren't fatal, but that didn’t stop Dash from worrying all day. Gilda wasn’t the only one out of commission either, Fluttershy was absent from school that day, exhausted from her own battle. Applejack and Rarity had work as usual, which meant the only person left unaccounted for was...

“SURPRISE!” Yelled a cheery voice, as they leapt into the seat next to Sunset who nearly spilled her drink in shock.

“Pinkie!” She scolded. “Do you have to do that every time? I thought you were working!” 

Pinkie was unfazed by Sunset’s serious tone and continued smiling, like always. “I got my schedule mixed up!” She explained, presenting said schedule.

“Pinkie, that’s a menu.”

“I know, turns out 3:59 wasn’t the time I started work, it was the price of Cake and Coffee.”

“Never a dull moment with you around.” Sunset reached for the napkin on the table to wipe up the minor spillage, only to witness the napkin shake ominously.

A pink blur suddenly dove out from underneath it. “SURPRISE!”  

Sunset reeled back with a scream as she spilled more of her drink all over the table as Pinkie’s Stand, Birthday Train, gave her a big smile. 

After recollecting herself, Sunset glared at Pinkie. “You did that one on purpose.”

She looked guilty as charged. “You just looked so gloomy, I thought a big shock might perk you up a little bit, get that adrenaline pumping!”

“You couldn’t have found a more subtle way of doing that?”

“Nope.”

Sunset returned to what remained of her drink as she continued her pondering, only for Pinkie to interrupt again.

“So, what are we going to do today?”

“Don’t know, everyone’s busy.”

“I’m not.”

Sunset thought for a moment, Pinkie wasn’t the most focused person in the world, so she wouldn't be the best companion for an investigation, but any company was good company, especially if it was a friend.

“Alright, Pinkie.” Sunset got up from her seat. “You wanna join me on a little investigation?”

"What kind of investigation?"

"A supernatural one."

Pinkie got super excited. “A supernatural investigation? Those are the best kind! So, what are we investigating?” 

“Well, after listening to Applejack and Fluttershy’s stories, I think the first place we should look is the park.”

“Alright! To the park!” Pinkie dashed off in high spirits, with Sunset following close behind.

The girls arrived at the park, but it was surprisingly quiet, with not a soul in sight. What was once a popular spot to spend a warm afternoon was now completely abandoned. Ever since Gilda’s assault the rumours about the strange incidents began spreading like wildfire, in fear of their safety the public refused to go anywhere near the area, even the police seemed hesitant to do any real investigations into the matter, but at least the lack of people made it easier for Sunset and Pinkie to look around on their own.

There were a couple of places of interest that Sunset wanted to look into. The first were the strange markings Applejack found at the Time Dial and the second was the strange house that seemingly disappeared after Fluttershy accidentally discovered it.

“We should check out the Time Dial first.” Sunset suggested.

“You mean that weird art piece?”

“Yeah, Applejack saw something there that sounded suspicious.”

They moved to the center of the park to examine the area. The clock itself didn’t have anything strange about it, but there were some bizarre markings on the ground. Most of it was just graffiti left by artists, but one image stood out as particularly haunting. To most people it looked just like any other strange painting, but to Sunset it gave off a menacing, yet familiar vibe.

The markings were of a circle, with a hexagon in the middle, with each corner of the hexagon housing a smaller circle, with images drawn inside each one. Symbols that seemed to represent something. 

“I’ve seen something like this before.” Sunset explained. 

“Really? Where?” Pinkie asked.

“In some old history books I read. This looks suspiciously like a Magic Ritual Circle.”

“Like, real magic?”

“Definitely.”

“Wow! I didn’t know real magic existed in this world.”

“What? Oh no, this is Equestrian magic.”

“Equestrian?”

“The world I’m from.”

“You mean with the horses?”

“Ponies.”

“Right, how did something like that end up here, then?”

“Good question.”

Sunset had no idea how a magic circle from Equestria somehow ended up in the human world on its own, but her mind immediately thought of the possibility that whoever, or whatever brought Stand powers across these worlds could also be responsible for this Ritual Circle, but it was only a possibility.

Pinkie analysed the markings herself and a question popped into her head.

“Hey, Sunset? How do you know this is from Equestria?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, how do we know this isn’t just some weird graffiti? It doesn’t look very Equestria-ey to me.”

“Look at this symbol at the top of the circle.”

“You mean this weird star thingy?”

“Yeah, that’s the Element of Magic, without a doubt.”

Pinkie gasped. “What’s that?”

“The big crown thingy that turned me into a demon.”

“Oh and gave us those crazy superpowers! So, what are these other shapes?”

Pinkie pointed to the four symbols underneath the star, they were all the same, images of a gemstone. 

“Those must be the other Elements of Harmony, but if that’s the case then why is there a drawing of apples at the bottom?”

“Applejack likes apples, maybe it represents her?”

“What the heck does Applejack have to do with any of this? She was never meant to have a Stand in the first place, like the rest of us."

Pinkie shrugged.

"Also, if you want this Ritual Circle to work you need to draw symbols that represent what you want to use in the ritual, but the apples and the gemstones are contradicting each other.”

“What do the other Elements of Harmony look like?”

“I did some research on them when I was in Equestria and they all look like gemstones, I don’t know what this apple drawing is supposed to mean, but you're not going to accomplish much with only five elements, you need all six.”

"Or you'll turn into a raging she-demon, right?"

"Exactly. You'll lose control of the magic and yourself."

Pinkie thought as hard as she could but all she got was a headache. “Argh! I’m so confused!”

“Well, whoever is trying to use this Ritual Circle isn’t going to accomplish anything with it in the state it’s in now. In fact, as long as they’re in the human world, I doubt they’ll be able to use it at all. We should move on and investigate the forest.”

Leaving the strange markings behind, they moved on from the Time Dial and entered the forest. With their knowledge of what happened to Fluttershy they were extremely cautious. They stuck to only walking in a straight line, to prevent them from getting lost or separated. 

They knew the house was located in a clearing near the back of the forest, but all they found was a tree with a rare mushroom growing at the base. It wasn’t relevant to their investigation, but Pinkie thought it was neat and took a picture.

After spending what seemed like hours searching through the woods, the constant walking started to wear the girls down.

“Are we there yet, Sunny?” Pinkie sighed with her hair drooping like a wet towel. 

“I don’t understand, we’ve been walking for at least thirty minutes now, but I don’t see this house anywhere.”

“Maybe we’re lost.”

“Lost? This forest isn’t that big. We should have made some progress by now.”

Pinkie looked around aimlessly, she desperately needed to find something interesting before she died of boredom. 

“Sunset, look at that mushroom!”

“Pinkie, can you please stop with the mushrooms, we can’t get distracted or we really will get lost.”

Pinkie knew something funky was going on and pulled out her phone to prove it. 

“Just look at this!” She demanded. 

“That’s just the mushroom from earlier.”

“Yeah, now look at that one.” Pointing to the mushroom on the tree.

“What about it? It doesn’t look any different.”

“Exactly, we just passed the same mushroom!”

The realisation finally dawned on Sunset as she grabbed Pinkie’s phone to compare the picture with the mushroom again. She was right, it was exactly the same, from the position, to the tree and foliage surrounding it.

“But, that’s impossible!” Sunset complained indignantly. “We’ve been walking in a straight line this entire time, how could we possibly have ended up back here.”

Pinkie shrugged.

“Hold on, I got an idea.” Sunset released Sky Should Be High to fly above the trees so she could observe the forest from above. Using her Stand’s clairvoyance, Sunset could see that the forest was as big as she initially thought, she could even see they were close to a clearing with a rundown, old house nearby. 

“Do you see anything?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah, I can see an old cottage just up ahead from here.”

“Ooh, so we’re close? Then let’s get moving, already!”

Returning her Stand, the girls marched through the forest, directly toward the mysterious house, but their progress was halted by Pinkie, once again.

“Um, Sunset?”

“Pinkie, what is it, now?”

“We passed the mushroom tree, again...”

“What!?”

Sunset leapt over to Pinkie to compare her photo with the mushroom again, she was right, they somehow managed to walk in a circle, again.

“But... I don’t... Whuh...?”

“Wow, I never realised you had such a poor sense of direction.”

“But, we only walked for five minutes!”

Sunset had a migraine coming on, from all this unexplainable nonsense. She used her Stand to check from the sky one more time, the scene was exactly the same, the forest hadn’t changed at all. 

“Hey.” Pinkie asked. “This might sound a little obvious by now, but do you think an enemy Stand is messing with us?”

“What? O-of course! I totally figured that out, too. I mean, obviously, it's an enemy Stand!” Flustered by Pinkie’s deduction, Sunset quickly composed herself. “But, if that’s the case, then where’s the user?”

Pinkie gasped suddenly. “You don’t think the mushroom is a Stand user, do you?”

“Don’t be stupid, Pinkie, there’s no way a mushroom can have a Stand... right?” 

The girls stared at the mushroom, intensely. Could it really possible? They poked it with a stick, but nothing happened. Sunset kicked it a little, but they still didn’t notice anything unusual. Until they heard a shriek.

“Pinkie, was that you?” Sunset asked as she jumped up to her feet.

“No.”

“It sure sounded like you.”

“Oh, maybe it was Mini Me. She must have found something.”

“Mini what? Oh! You mean Birthday Train! Has your Stand been wandering around the forest this whole time!?”

“Of course, she gets bored sitting in my head all day, Stands need to stretch their legs, too.”

Ignoring the concerning psychological implications of Pinkie's explanation, Sunset focused on figuring out the source of the scream.

When they arrived they found Pinkie’s Stand pointing at a bush in distress.

“What is it, Mini Me?” Pinkie asked as she coddled her Stand like a puppy.

“I saw a creepy thing, in the bushes. It was staring at me!”

“I guess I better see what’s in there.” Sunset volunteered. 

She carefully approached the bush, hoping not to disturb whatever was lurking inside. She slowly pulled apart the leaves and branches to take a peek. What she saw, hiding in the darkness was a glowing, red eye peering back at her. It took Sunset’s brain a second to process what she was seeing before she reeled her head back in shock.

“What the heck is that thing!?” She remarked, falling back on her butt.

"Did you get it?"

"No, but I will.” Not feeling comfortable with handling the creature with her own hands, she instead had Sky, plunge it’s hand into the bush to yank it out of it’s hiding place.

What Sky pulled out was a glowing red eyeball, wriggling on the end of a black, inky tendril, like an eel struggling to worm its way back into the water. The sight of it dangling helplessly was unsettling to say the least.

“That’s just gross.” Pinkie expressed, sickened, before immediately pulling out her phone and taking a photo of the creature.

“Pinkie! Don’t take a picture of it.”

“Why? Oh wow, it actually showed up!” 

“What?” Sunset examined the picture, the eye’s appearance was captured perfectly. She winced back at the creature as it continued to squirm, but Sky held it tightly by its tendril. “Is this really the enemy Stand we’ve been looking for?”

The eye eventually stopped squirming, having tired itself out. 

While Pinkie refused to go anywhere near it, she did have a question about the slimy, spying eyeball. “So, what are we gonna do with this thing?” 

“I guess we could put it in a container or something. Maybe we can use it to draw out the user.”

“Or maybe we can rough it up a little to let the user know, not to leave creepy eye balls lying around.”

“Speaking of its user, I wonder what kind of power this thing has and what they were using it for? Can’t be much if we caught it this easily.”

“I bet it spies on people while it hides in the shadows, like a creeper.”

“You really don’t like this thing, do you Pinkie.”

“It gives me bad joo joo, Sunset and you know how I feel about bad joo joo!”

Sunset took a closer look at the eye by having her Stand dangle it a little closer to her. As she leaned in to examine it, the eye suddenly jutted upwards, scaring Sunset half to death.

With the eye now wide open, the creature stared into the distance as the surrounding area began to distort like television static. The trees, bushes and ground became unstable as they faded in and out of reality like an oasis. The eye was warping the area into an indescribable void. 

Sunset observed the phenomenon hoping to gain a better understanding of the eye’s powers, but as reality slowly started slipping further away, concern for her and Pinkie’s safety became top priority. She had Sky slam the eye into the ground and in doing so, it’s effects wore off as the world returned to normal. 

“Pinkie!” Sunset called. “Did you see all that!?”

“Um, I saw the eye doing a thing and then you started disappearing.”

“What? I was disappearing? That’s not what I saw.”

Pinkie shrugged, but was suddenly spooked. “Sunset! The eye thingy is still moving!”

The eye had all ready recovered from being dunked into the ground and slithered towards the girls. Pinkie jumped out of the way to avoid touching it as the eye escaped into the forest. 

“Pinkie! Why didn’t you stop it!?”

“I’m sorry! It’s just so slippery and gross!”

“We can’t let it escape or we might never get out of this forest!”

Sunset and Pinkie ceased their bickering and tailed the peeping eyeball. It sunk into the shadows to travel through the trees and bushes with ease, but even still it wasn't sly enough to shake the girls, as it left behind a black, smokey trail that they used to track its movements. 

Just as the girls were about to catch up to it, however, the trail suddenly vanished. 

“What?” Sunset cried, upset over the eye’s sudden disappearing act. “Where did the trail go?”

Pinkie, on the other hand, was delighted. “Hey, we’re back in the park!”

“What? That conniving, little black booger. It must have lead us away from that house on purpose!”

“Who cares. At least we’re finally out of that endless forest.”

“But, what about the house?” 

“As long as that eye thingy is in there, I don't think we're getting anywhere near that house. I say we forget about it.”

“But, then. How did Fluttershy find it?”

Pinkie shrugged.

Sunset sighed in defeat. “I can’t believe I got outsmarted by an eyeball.”

“Just let it go, Sunny.”

After that exhausting ordeal, the girls took a breather to relax on a bench by the side of the road as they pondered the next stage of their investigation.

“Wanna go get ice cream?”

“Pinkie, we just had milkshakes, like, an hour ago.”

"So, that’s a no, then?”

Sunset moaned in exasperation, she didn’t think their investigation would hit a dead end so quickly. As long as that eye was protecting the forest, they couldn’t do anything. Tired and out of ideas, she pulled out her phone.

“Ooh, do you have some sort of lead on your phone?” Pinkie asked.

“Nope.”

“Oh... well, what are you doing?”

“Flicking through the different numbers I have to see if anything catches my eye.”

“How will that help?”

“I have no idea.”

“Aw man, finding Stand users is harder than we thought.”

Sunset was suddenly struck with a thought. “Stand users...? Oh, that’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“We should get information from the other Stand users!”

“Didn’t we do that already? We’ve talked to every Stand user we’ve fought.”

“Not all of them, there’s one who managed to slip away.”

“Who?”

“Superintendent Discord.”

“I don’t know if I want to talk with the guy who crushed my head with a hammer.”

“But, he’s our only lead.”

“Do you know where he lives?”

“Nope.”

“Oh...”

“But, luckily for us, we live in the technological age, where all the information in the world is uploaded online for all to see. All of which is available to us on a device that fits conveniently in the palm of our hands. With this phone and some deductive reasoning skills we should be able to pinpoint Discord’s current residence with no problems.”

Pinkie interrupted. “Ooh, there he is! He’s entering that house on the other side of the road!”

“Or, we could just got to that house... on the other side... of the road..."
> Part 8-2: A Bizarre Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Sunset and Pinkie approached Discord’s house Sunset grew hesitant. 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea.” 

“Why not?” Pinkie asked.

“What if he tries to lure us into another trap, like last time?”

“What are you kids doing on my lawn!?” Cried the voice of an angry old man, poking his head out from the second storey window of his house. 

“Ah! Supernintendo Discord!”

“That joke wasn’t even funny the first time!” Discord yelled as Pinkie looked away, embarrassed. “What do you kids want? School's over for the day, go home!”

This was Sunset’s chance. “Superintendent, sir? We need to talk to you! It’s important!”

“No thank you, I’m off the clock, which means the school is someone else’s problem til tomorrow!”

“Actually we wanted to talk to you about Stand users!”

“Ugh, I had a feeling you’d say that. All right, Miss Shimmer, I’ll be right down.”

“Well, that was easy.” Pinkie smiled.

“Yeah, too easy...” Discord was being a little too cooperative. Sunset noticed that he left his window open and used Sky Should Be High to fly up and peek inside. He was sitting comfortably in his bedroom chair and yet a second later, Discord was also right in front of them, greeting them at the door.

“Well now, ladies. Why don’t you come in for some tea, so we can have a nice chat.” 

Pinkie couldn’t resist the promise of something sweet, but Sunset held her back before she rushed off. 

“What’s wrong, ladies? Is something the matter? Surely you can trust old Discor-- what the!?”

Discord started floating, with his arms dangling like a puppet on strings. “What’s happening? Why can’t I move? Are you doing this?”

Sunset responded with a smirk as Discord continued to struggle feebly. In the room upstairs, Sky had the real Discord locked in a hold, leaving his Stand copy hanging in the air.

“That’s much better, as long as we keep the real Discord busy, we won’t have to worry about any surprises from his Stand.”

Pinkie jumped for joy. “All right! Take that Good something or other...”

“It’s called, Good Manners and Customs!” Discord responded, still angrily struggling.

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s supposed to be ironic, not that you'd understand...” He pompously retorted.

“Well, ironically, I still don’t get it.” Pinkie smiled.

“Do you girls have business with me or not?”

Discord was Sunset’s only lead, but she needed to make sure he was restrained, Sky couldn’t hold him forever. 

“Pinkie!” She ordered. “Go inside and restrain Discord, tie him to his chair or something.”

“You got it!” She saluted.

Sunset escorted Discord’s Stand to his room and found the real Discord tied to his chair with a variety of belts.

“I’m sorry.” Pinkie apologised. “There were all I could find.”

Discord fidgeted uncomfortably. “Are these belts really necessary?” 

“As long as your real body is restricted, you can’t use your Stand.” Sunset explained.

“Yeah, you’re not crushing my head with a hammer, again!” Pinkie added.

“Oh, it was only the one time.”

The girls were not in the mood for any of Discord’s jokes, as Sunset got straight to business. 

“Discord! You need to tell us everything!”

“Define 'everything'.”

“Um, well, let’s start with how you got your Stand and when and why.”

“And what.” Pinkie added.

“What “what”?”

“What?”

...

“Ladies, there was a point to all of this, right?”

“Just, tell us about the day you received your Stand.”

“Oh, it was a lovely, sunny day as I was joyously strolling to work, with a spring in my step and a song in my heart, then somebody shot an arrow at me and, well, here we are!”

“Do you think you can be a little more specific?”

“I said it was a 'sunny day', didn't I?”

“Argh!” Sunset leaned in regret and dismay realising how difficult Discord was going to be. There wasn’t a chance he was going to give a straight answer, but she needed to get something out of him, anything that could break through his barrier of sarcasm.

Sunset immediately straightened herself out, with a tenacious look in her eye. 

“Discord!” She demanded.

“No need to shout, I’m right here.”

Sunset thought back on the information they gathered from the previous Stand users they interrogated. There was one common trend throughout all of their stories, perhaps this trend would also continue with Discord. 

“Have you had any nightmares, lately.”

“I’m having one right now.”

“What about, in the park, with a creature with red eyes.”

“R-red eye... No idea what you’re talking about.”

“You hesitated.”

“I was merely taken aback by how stupid you sounded.”

“Well, I think you’re hiding something. I think you were struck by the arrow in the park and had a nightmare, just like the rest of that man’s subordinates.”

“That’s a mighty big claim you’re making, there. Got any proof?” 

As usual, Discord was being as difficult as possible. Sunset didn’t have any hard evidence that Discord received his Stand in the park, but that was definitely the case with the rest of that man’s subordinates, so it would only make sense for Discord to have been there too.

“Ooh, wait! I have something!” Pinkie exclaimed. She pulled out her phone and presented it to Discord. “Take a look at this!”

“Oh my, you’re really going to town on that cake!”

“What? No wait, that was from last week.” Pinkie quickly searched for the relevant image. 

“Here, look at this!”

“Gah! Where did you find that!?”

“Pinkie, what did you show him?”

“The photo of the creepy eyeball thing.”

"Why'd you show him that?"

"When you asked him about seeing red eyes in his nightmare, he replied 'Red eye', singular. So, I just put two and two together and showed him the red eye thingy we saw!" 

Sunset was shocked by Pinkie's surprisingly solid reasoning skills. She looked over to Discord who was suddenly looking a little uncomfortable. 

“Judging by his reaction. I think the Superintendent may have seen this eye before.”

“No, that’s impossible.” Discord quickly laughed off.

“How?”

“Because, no one’s seen that eye before...”

“Except for you?”

“Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I choose to remain silent!” 

“You walked right into that one, didn't you?” Sunset asked looking particularly smug.

“Oh my. It looks like Detective Shimmer and her Partner Pinkie have pried the truth right out of me.”

“Could you please, just tell us what you know.”

“Fine, whatever, I’m getting bored of this charade, anyway. I received my Stand walking through the park and then had a big scary nightmare, so what?”

“What was the nightmare like?”

“It was dark and spooky.”

“Can you give us any details that are relevant?”

“Well, like most dreams, I’ve forgotten most of the details already. All I remember now, is that it happened and it was very spooky.”

Just when Sunset was finally making progress she hit another wall, perhaps a different line of questioning was needed to extract some new information. 

“So, Superintendant. Why did you go along with that man’s plans in the first place?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie pressed. “What made you want to go around squishing people’s heads!?”

Discord took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“Um... okay?”

“Girls, do you have any idea how hard it is to keep that school out of trouble?” Discord’s insufferable sarcasm was suddenly absent, he was actually being serious for once.

“What do you mean?”

“Magical demons, destruction of school property, mind control, holes in space-time ripping reality apart and worst of all, cheating at the Friendship Games!? You have no idea how difficult it is to sweep all of these incidents under the rug. It’s like a never ending torrent of sparkles, rainbows and magic with you girls and if that wasn’t bad enough, you little nitwits record everything on those phones of yours and then upload it to the internet for everyone to see! 

Do you know how difficult it is to keep all of this magic a secret when there's video evidence of it everywhere!? You’re lucky to have a Superintendent as adept at lying as I am or that school would have been shut down months ago!”

A sudden feeling of guilt washed over Sunset, she never even considered the fact that someone else had to take the fall for all those magical incidents she inadvertently caused. “I’m sorry, I had no idea. When you're trying to save the world, you don't really think about who has to pick up all the pieces afterwords.”

“It’s fine, usually the magic can be written off as mere hoaxes, or special effects, but it gets harder every time. I just figured with magic powers of my own, I could stamp out the source of all my woes permanently and finally have it easy for a change, but I guess I let my anger get the better of me, what with the whole head smashing thing.”

Discord's motive made sense, but to Sunset, it also lead to an important discovery. 

“Does that mean you were using your powers for your own personal gain and not for that man’s plans?”

Discord thought for a moment. “Well, to be honest, the attack on the school is the only thing he ever ordered us to do, other than that he left us to our own devices.”

“That’s weird. If that’s the case then why even go to all the trouble of assembling Stand users in the first place? Does he not care about controlling people after all?”

“Oh, he cares. That nightmare realm is no joke. Once he has you in his clutches, you’re completely helpless. He always made sure to keep us on a leash, just in case.” 

“Did you ever see his face?”

“Nope, even when there’s light, he’s always hidden by shadows. Not that he ever leaves that moldy, old cottage anyway.”

“What about the other Stand users, did you know them?”

“Not personally, there was the bossy one, the loud one, the athletic one and the whiny one.”

“You don’t even know their names?”

“Why would I? We weren’t some super villain team, we only met a couple of days before the attack on the school and look how that turned out.”

“Yeah, that was pretty disorganised. Didn’t you have some sort of strategy?”

“Not really, I just lured you into the loud one's range and figured that would be enough. Too be honest, I didn’t have much knowledge of any of their Stand powers. Even the boss just left us to figure things out on our own.”

“So, you don’t have anything else you could tell us?”

“Not at all.”

“So, we’re right back where we started?”

“Looks like it.”

Sunset groaned in exasperation. Every lead she found just spun her in circles. 

“Well, there is one other thing I could mention, but I’m not sure if it’s even relevant.”

Sunset quickly perked back up. “Please, anything would be helpful.” 

“Well, after Applejack sent me careening through the air, right before I fell unconscious, I saw a bright light shining from angel wings.”

“And?”

“Oh, that’s it, I guess I lost consciousness, right then.”

Discord’s anecdote came completely out of left field, Sunset would have dismissed it as pure fiction, a tall tale Discord made up on the spot, just to mess with her, had it not reminded Sunset of a similar encounter she experienced. “I think I've seen those angel wings and Fluttershy mentioned seeing something in a bright light, too.”

Pinkie felt left out. “Aw, I wish I could have seen it. I wonder what it is?”

Sunset wracked her brain trying to connect all these pieces together. Demons, angels, Stands, creepy eyeballs, this whole situation was just one big mess.

“So, are we done here? These belts are chafing me.”

Sunset raised her head and exhaled deeply. “Yeah, I guess.” 

Pinkie freed Discord from the clutches of his belts and the girls headed home. 

As they were walking down the street, Pinkie noticed Sunset looking dejected, like she was disappointed in herself. 

“Hey, you okay?” Pinkie asked. “You’ve got that mopey look again.”

“Oh? Sorry. I just feel like we haven’t made much progress.”

“What are you talking about? We found out about a magic circle thing, a big ol’ eyeball and why becoming a superintendent is a terrible career choice.” 

“But, that magic circle could be used for anything. The eyeball is a Stand we can’t fight and I’m pretty sure we didn’t talk to Discord for career advice.”

“Oh...” Now, Pinkie was feeling dejected, but at least she got Sunset thinking again.

“There is one thing we learned, though...”

“There is!?” Pinkie suddenly snapped back into usual jovial attitude.

“At first I thought whoever was creating these Stand users was trying to build up an army to take over the world or something, but that man doesn’t seem to be interested in making an army at all. Which means, he’s after something else.”

“But, then, why did he send his goons to attack us?”

“Maybe he didn’t. Lightning, Gilda even Discord had their own reasons to attack us. He only ordered the attack at the school to get the Unicorn Arrow back. At least, that's what I thought, but if he isn’t making an army of Stand users, then he probably doesn’t need the arrow back either.”

“Then, what was the point of the attack?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m so anxious, what could he possibly be after? And what about the Stand users we haven’t seen yet? And what’s up with this angel thing? Oh... how could this get any more confusing?”

“Hey, Sunset, Pinkie, how’s it going?” A tall, buff man loomed over the girls, but it was just Bulk Biceps who happened to bump into them during an early evening jog.

Sunset was surprised to see Bulk after all this time. “Where have you been the past three days? I haven’t seen you anywhere.”

“What? You told me to lay low, so I’ve been at home.”

“Bulk, I didn’t mean you literally had to go into hiding like some sort of fugitive.”

“I didn’t? Welp, there goes three days of school.”

“If you were hiding then why are you out jogging now?”

“I can’t stay inside forever. No weirdo Stand users are gonna get in the way of my exercise routine.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll be attacked?”

“Nah, I doubt they’ll come after me, now that I don’t have my Stand any more.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense... WHAT!?”

“What?”

“What do you mean you don’t have your Stand any more!? What happened!?”

“I don’t know. I can’t summon it any more, watch.”

Bulk closed his eyes and concentrated, on his command, his Stand manifested above him, just like before. It’s massive, powerful arms and tiny head were completely unharmed. 

“Oh, hey, Burly Heart! You’re back!”

“WHAT!?” Sunset cried in disbelief. “Bulk, you just said your Stand was gone!”

“Yeah, I guess it came back! Ain’t that weird.”

“Holy Celestia, what is happening?”

Sunset grasped her head, once again as her migraine intensified trying to understand this madness. Bulk and Pinkie looked on, worried for Sunset’s health.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s had a long day...”

After taking some deep breaths, Sunset composed herself and was ready for some good old fashioned questioning.

“Bulk. When did your Stand suddenly disappear?”

“Couple days ago, I think.”

“Did anything strange happen to you?”

“I dunno.”

“Of course not...”

“Sorry, Sunset.”

“Just... go back to your jog, Bulk...” 

Bulk could hear the sadness and frustration in Sunset’s voice and attempted to cheer her up 

“Hey! If you need help fighting any Stand users in the future, give me call and I’ll come running!” 

Sunset accepted Bulk’s offer and let him continue his jog down the street, but she still felt down. 

“Every time a new lead presents itself I hit a dead end. I feel like fate is dangling the answers in front of me on a stick, leading me around like a dumb donkey.”

“But, you’re not dumb, or a donkey.” Pinkie explained, trying to comfort her saddened friend. “You just haven’t gotten a lucky break, yet!”

“Oh yeah? And when’s that happening?”

“LOOK!” Pinkie yelled in delight. “Someone’s walking out of the park!” She turned to Sunset to gauge her reaction. “And they’re wearing a suspicious outfit that's concealing their identity!”

Sunset immediately remembered the hooded girl from a few days ago. Was this it? The lucky break she was looking for? “Pinkie! We need to catch that person, right now!”

With renewed hope, the girls chased after the hooded figure and confronted them. At first the figure didn’t pay the girls any notice, even after they called out to them. Sunset used her Stand to fly towards the figure and pull their hood down, grabbing their attention and revealing their long, purple hair with blue highlights. 

The once hooded figure glanced behind herself before turning to face the one’s who disturbed her. 

Sunset recognised her. “Hey, you’re the girl who was with Gilda, when we were attacked at the school. What was your name again?”

The girl just stood there, staring blankly before pulling out her earphones. “Can I help you with something?”

“You’re the girl we saw at school the other day, the one who tried to fight me.”

“Yeah, I remember you, you made me look like a joke!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You made me and my Diva look pathetic in front of my comrades! Do you have any idea how embarrassed I felt after that!?”

“I don’t recall anyone seeing our fight.”

“I did!” Pinkie jumped in, cutting through the tension. “You were all like 'Shut up!' and Sunset was all like 'Um... okay.' and then your Stands clashed and then you both messed your wrists up pretty bad and then we all had a good laugh.”

“Shut up! It wasn't funny!” The girl became enraged, but Pinkie wasn’t going to let her grumpiness ruin her fun.

“Geez, don’t have to be rude! You gotta learn to smile more! Even Sunset thought that fight was funny!”

“This isn’t a joke! My Diva is way stronger that it was a few days ago! What about you? Have you made any progress with your Stand powers?”

Perplexed by the girl's abrasive, competitive attitude, Pinkie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. “You need to lighten up. Stop being such a whiner.”

Pinkie’s final remark was the last straw, as the girl’s Stand appeared and launched a powerful blow to Pinkie’s face, knocking her to the ground. 

Sunset was outraged by the girl’s violent behaviour. “What the heck is wrong with you!? Why did you do that!?”

“She irritated me.”

“You didn’t have to hurt her like that!”

“She’s the enemy, I’ll attack her if I feel like it.”

“Enemy? So, you’re working for that shadow man, too?”

A sudden, smug grin crawled onto the girl’s face. “Ha! He wishes. He can’t control me with those freaky visions of his. I’m going to do things my way.”

“Visions? You mean the nightmares?”

“Visions, nightmares... whatever they’re called, they don’t work on me!”

“So, what are you trying to accomplish without him?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Sunset Shimmer.” The girl taunted.

“I don't remember giving you my name.”

“Didn't need to, I already know everything about your magical hi-jinks, Sunset. That Battle of the Bands fiasco was pretty entertaining.”

“How do you know about that? You don’t even go to my school!”

“Are you kidding!? People record videos of that stuff all the time! Most people just right it off as some elaborate hoax or some artsy music video, but of course we all know truth, right?” 

Sunset found it creepy that someone would do so much research on her without her knowledge. “What possible reason could you have to look into my past?”

“That’s a secret.”

This girl was even more uncooperative than Discord. She showed no signs of backing down and was preparing herself for a fight, Sunset readied her Stand in response.

Sunset's Stand didn't impress the girl. It didn't look like it had grown at all, since the last time they met, in contrast to Diva, which looked more beefed up than before. 

“You’re going to fight me with that?”

“Y-yeah. Is that a problem?”

“Well, it’s just... I’ve never felt such a strange mix of amusement and utter disappointment before. Your powers haven’t grown an inch since we last met, it’s almost sad.”

“HEY!” Yelled a voice below them. “Sunset’s Stand has totally grown since last time!” 
Still lying on the floor, Pinkie sprung back up on her feet. Her face still had Diva's fist imprinted on it, but otherwise she was unharmed. After plugging her nose and blowing super hard, Pinkie’s face popped back into shape as if nothing happened.

Disheartened and dismayed, the girl was devastated that her powerful strike had no effect on Pinkie at all. “How!? That punch should have shattered your nose! What happened!?”

“It’s all thanks to my Stand, Birthday Train!” Pinkie’s Stand waved as it rested on her shoulder.

“That’s not a train! That’s a horse!”

“Says you!” The Stand replied sticking it’s tongue out in rebellion.

Insulted by her Stand and it’s power, Diva quickly threw another punch at Pinkie’s face, knocking her down again. Pinkie immediately bounced back up on her feet and fixed her contorted face with zero effort.

The girl trembled with rage, but also doubt. “How is this happening? My Diva’s become so much stronger and yet this... this... cartoon pony is somehow stronger!? What are you!? Indestructible!?”

“Pretty much!” Pinkie smiled without a care.

The girl was shocked, but soon recovered as she saw this as an opportunity. “Really? Then let’s see how indestructible you really are!” Diva pointed its middle and forefinger and fired a blue beam. 

Sunset knew Pinkie wouldn’t be harmed, thanks to her Stand ability, but there was something off about that beam, it didn’t look powerful, meaning it probably had some other effect that wasn't concerned with dealing damage. Sunset trusted her gut and jumped to protect Pinkie.

She braced herself as she was struck by the beam, but she felt no pain. In fact, it felt extremely weak, like water from a squirt gun. The beam dissipated leaving the girl more enraged than she was before. “NO! What are you doing!?”

“I was protecting my friend from... whatever that was.”

“No! I don’t want this garbage! And now my power’s gone! I didn't even get to use it!”

Sunset had no idea what the girl was ranting about, but she was clearly distressed over something. She’d love to ask and learn more about her Stand, but it didn’t look like the girl was in the mood to talk. She instead took advantage of her distress to launch a surprise counterattack.

Still yelling to herself, the girl failed to notice Sky Should Be High, flying in low, to land a strong uppercut right to her face, knocking the girl down. As she fell, a notebook slipped out of the front pocket of her hoodie and onto the ground, opening to the bookmarked page. 

Not wanting to let any potential evidence slip by her, Sunset used Sky's clairvoyance to read the book. She only managed to glance at it for a moment as the girl’s Stand quickly reclaimed the book before helping it’s user back on her feet. 

“My nose!” The girl cried in anger. “You made my nose bleed!”

“Yeah! Guess my Stand wasn’t as weak as you thought it was!”

Her pride wounded, the girl contemplated Sunset's words. “Does that mean, I’m still weak, too?”

“Um, well, it doesn’t matter how strong your Stand is, the user is still just a normal person. E-except, Pinkie... she’s, like, the total opposite for some reason. Stand powers are weird like that.”

“Pinkie...” The girl mumbled to herself.

Sunset grew concerned. The girl didn’t seem emotionally stable with her sudden mood swings and that was saying a lot considering the people she’d met recently. “Hey, are you okay? We don’t have to fight like this, you know? I want to stop that man too, so why don’t we work together?”

“Never!” 

The girl marched over to Sunset with violent intent. Her Stand loomed over her with a dark aura. Sky attempted to fend off the Stand, but to no avail, as its attacks were too weak to cause any harm to it. There were no openings for Sunset to exploit and nowhere to run.

Before Sunset was struck by the Stand’s mighty fist, a ghostly figure flew between them, wielding a sturdy shield and blocked the attack with ease.

“What!?” The girl cried. “Who did that!?”

“Excuse me.” From across the street, Rarity had entered the battle. 

She was standing in a circle where the pavement used to be. Her Stand, Lady Fascination, had sliced up part of the concrete and melded it into a shield to defend her friend. The girl however was unaware of this ability and was baffled that anything was capable of withstanding her Stand’s attack.

“Why can’t I break this shield!” 

“It’s not the shield you should be worrying about, right Sunset!”

Sunset heard Rarity’s call and while the girl was distracted, trying to break through the shield, she, once again, failed to notice Sky Should Be High slip into her range and land another punch, this time to her gut.

That single punch was enough to wind the girl and prevent her from using her Stand for any more assaults, as she fell to knees, clutching her stomach. “That... hurt.. but how?”

Sunset flicked her hair. “Didn’t I already explain that having a Stand doesn’t make you superhuman? Anyone can be brought to their knees with a nice solid punch to the gut!”

“Speaking of explaining..." Asked Rarity, as she joined her friends. "Who are you?” 

“Starlight... Glimmer...”

Sunset also asked her own question. “Starlight, could you tell me the meaning of the symbols in the notebook you were carrying?”

“No.” A sudden gust of wind engulfed Starlight, pushing the girls away from her. By the time the wind died down, Starlight had already escaped.

“Hey!” Pinkie objected. “That’s not fair! She used the wind as a cover to escape and she didn’t even answer our question!”

“There’s not much we can do now, Pinkie...” Sunset sighed.

Even though she had escaped, Rarity was still bothered by something. “Sunset, what are these symbols you were talking about?”

“I’m not sure, but some of them looked just like the ones we found in the park, but there were a bunch of scribbles all over the page, I couldn’t make out what any of it meant.”

“Well, that’s certainly troubling, but unless we can figure out what she's trying to accomplish with them, there's not much else we can do.”

“Yeah, but she’s also been watching videos of me.”

“Oh, those...”

“You knew about them!?”

“Well, yes, I wasn’t sure whether to tell you.”

“I need to see those videos! There has to be a clue hidden in them, somewhere."
> Part 9-1: Hunter Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the last day of school before the weekend. It had almost been a week since Sunset and her friends obtained their Stand powers, but it felt like an eternity, with so many developments happening in such a short amount of time. To complicate matters further, she now had to look back on past events, from before she and her friends even heard of Stands, all in the hope of finding any clues about the mysterious drawings in Starlight’s notebook. 

Starlight mentioned watching videos online, so with laptop in hand, Sunset and her friends gathered in the music room during their lunch break to analyse these videos.

“So...” Applejack asked. “These videos are from when, exactly?”

“The Battle of the Bands and the Friendship Games.” Sunset answered. “Apparently, amidst all the chaos, someone managed to record footage of the incidents and then uploaded that footage online. Starlight must have found something in these videos that she could use to her advantage.”

“Like what?”

“Probably something to do with the Magic Ritual Circle in the park, but without any knowledge on what she’s trying to accomplish with it, I have no idea what we’re supposed to be looking out for in this video.”

“Shouldn't you just look out for Magic Ritual Circle, stuff?”

“Not exactly. Magic Ritual Circles are completely unbalanced and experimental, they could be used for practically anything. There's no telling what incredible powers someone might be trying to conjure up with them, but one mistake and the whole ritual falls apart and all that excess magic, having nowhere to go, could bring chaos and imbalance to the world. Whatever she's doing, we need to stop it before something disastrous happens."

"Why would someone even use something so dangerous in the first place?" Fluttershy asked.

"No idea, but not many people even know they exist, since Celestia made them illegal, centuries ago.”

“Principal Celestia?” 

“No, Princess Celestia. From Equestria.”

“Oh, but if these circles are from Equestria, then how does Starlight know about them?”

“I think 'that man' might have an answer to that question.”

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash yelled, impatiently. “Are we gonna watch these videos or not? I’m getting antsy over here.” 

“Wait!” Pinkie interrupted. “I thought Rarity showed you these videos yesterday.”

“She showed me on her phone, but the quality was so poor, I couldn't make anything out. I tried watching them again when I got home, but... well... let’s just say there’s a reason I needed you guys to watch them with me.”

Rainbow Dash, getting increasingly impatient, hurried Sunset along. “Yeah, whatever, just show us all ready!”

“Here goes nothing.” Sunset opened the video titled: ★~CRAZY EPIC MAGIC AT MUSIC CONCERT★~[HD]~MUST SEE!!!✔”. 

The video was only a couple minutes long. The footage was shot from the perspective of the audience. It showed Sunset and her friends as they were about to undergo their transformations during their song, but abruptly cut off right before the climax of their battle with the Dazzlings. 

Something was noticeably off about the footage, which left the girls speechless, confused and irritated. Eventually Fluttershy, finally brought the issue to everyone’s attention. “Um, so... I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t see what was happening right?”

Rainbow Dash was dumbstruck by what she had just witnessed. “That’s the video you’ve been worried about!?”

Sunset laughed nervously. 

“That wasn’t in HD at all! It was all pixelated! That was 240p at best!” 

Applejack was equally upset. “And why’d they film it in vertical mode, I can’t see nothing like this! I should have known by the title that this was just a ruse! Who's the bird brain that uploaded this anyway!?”

Upon closer inspection of the page, the uploader went by the username: “MuffinLover121”

“That could be anybody!” 

After letting off steam over the horrendous video quality, Sunset moved onto more pressing matters. “Did anyone notice anything noteworthy about the video at all?”

“Well...” Dash pondered. “Even with the low quality, my transformation still looked pretty awesome, oh, and I guess the others were okay, too...”

“Alright... did anyone notice anything actually important in the footage?”

“Well...” Fluttershy responded. “It was nice seeing what our transformations looked like from the outside.”

“Huh, now that you mention it, that was the only interesting thing in the video, wasn’t it? But how could that possibly be helpful to us, or Starlight?” 

Sunset and the girls were stumped. They were at, yet another roadblock in their investigation. All the evidence they had gathered, Stand users’ testimonies, strange markings, videos etc. They just needed that the one last piece that connected them all together, to finally understand what Starlight and that man were trying to accomplish.

Meanwhile, while most of the other students were out for lunch, the halls were once again empty. Allowing a hooded individual to slip into the school, unnoticed. Just like Gilda before her, she was after one thing, The Unicorn Arrow. 

Unlike Gilda, however, she cautiously scanned her surroundings and spotted Sky Should Be High, watching over from above. If a Stand was guarding the area, then she knew it had to be close by. 

Simply walking down the hallway wasn’t an option, she’d be spotted immediately. Instead, the hooded individual released a piece of cloth from their sleeve, that slithered down their body and onto the floor. The cloth slipped inside the lockers from the bottom of their doors, avoiding detection, as it rummaged through each one searching for the arrow.

As it silently swept through one locker after another, it wasn’t long before it eventually discovered the arrow, lying at the bottom of a bag. It was then that the individual hit a snag in their plan, how were they going to get the arrow out of there? Sneaking it out would be impossible, the Stand keeping watch would surely notice the locker door opening, even slightly, but after coming this far they couldn't leave empty handed. 

In a fit of desperation and impatience, the hooded figure had no choice but to risk causing a small commotion. The cloth wrapped around the arrow and started banging against the locker door. Sky noticed the disruptive noise instantly, but before it could figure out what was causing it, the door burst open. 

With no time to spare, the hooded figure ran toward the locker, as the cloth flew across the ground, with the two attempting to meet each other halfway. Sky gave chase, the Stand swooped in to reclaim the arrow, but the cloth was much faster than it appeared and slipped right out of Sky’s grasp.

Failing to catch the cloth wasn’t enough to deter Sky from its goal of protecting the arrow and it immediately flew in for a second attempt. However, the cloth had already disappeared, leaving the arrow unattended on the ground. Sky snagged the arrow back, but as it rose from the ground, it came face to face with the hooded figure, with their magic cloth resting around their hand. 

As it wrapped around the figure’s fist, it morphed into a fighting glove. The figure geared themselves up and launched a punch at Sky. Although the hooded figure didn’t seem to have any real super strength of their own, the punch still hit like a truck, crashing into Sky and sending it flying down the hall. It was risky, but the figure’s plan to quickly obtain the arrow and then immediately deal with the Stand worked out surprisingly well. 

After their quick battle, they wasted no time in leaving the area before Sky had a chance to recover. They hurried outside the school and made a call on their phone. “U-um, boss. I did it... I successfully retrieved the arrow.”

“Ugh, about time.” Groaned the voice on the other side of the phone. “You weren’t spotted were you?”

“I think a Stand spotted me, but I dealt with it quickly and ran.”

“Well, whatever, just bring the arrow to me whenever you get the chance, preferably before the contest starts. I’ve just finished running my errand anyway.”

“Errand?”

“Yeah, had to deal with a few people. I couldn’t remove all of them, but one opponent should be easy enough to deal with. That’s why I need to see you before the contest.”

“Oh... so, you’re going to cheat again.” The girl responded, disappointed.

“It’s not cheating.” The voice pompously retorted. “I’m just using whatever resources I have at my disposal to win. See you at the gym.”

The voice abruptly hung up, leaving the hooded figure slightly lost. “I guess, I should get the arrow to her as soon as possible. I’ll probably just lose it if I hold on to it.”

Back in the music room, Sunset and her friends continued looking through the remaining videos from the Battle of the Bands and Friendship Games, but just like before, the terrible video quality made any kind of thorough examination impossible. 

“Were all of these videos recorded on a phénakisticope? I mean, at least they would have a clear picture.” Sunset decried.

Dash didn’t know what a phénakisticope was, but agreed anyway. “Are these really the only videos we can find?”

“Looks like it. I guess it was a lot easier for Discord to convince people this was a hoax than we initially thought, if this is the only video evidence out there.”

“Why isn’t there any footage from when you attacked the school?” Pinkie asked.

“You can't record on your phones if you're being mind controlled.”

“Oh, how sneaky of you.” Pinkie smirked.

“Thanks?”

Without so much as knocking, Rarity burst into the room, wheeling in a rack with her finished dress, ready to show off to her friends. 

“Finally!” She announced. “After weeks of preparations, it is complete!”

“Nice to see you, too. Finally finished your masterpiece, have ya?” Applejack quipped.

“Well, I don’t wish to brag, but “masterpiece” is certainly one way of describing this beautiful work of art.”

“You did remember to make it practical this time, right?”

“Yes, Applejack, no more: being puppeteered by magnets, like last time.” Rarity unzipped the bag hanging from the rack to reveal her latest creation. “Behold! My most magnificent ensemble yet!”

She unveiled a large bouffant gown with the skirt styled in the shape of a scarlet, red rose in full bloom, complete with multiple layers of fabric resembling flower petals. 

“Is that it?” Applejack questioned.

“What do you mean 'Is that it'?” Rarity demanded.

“It just looks so simple. Did this really take you weeks to finish?”

“Applejack, my dear. Simplicity is the key. Anyone can make a flower dress, but it takes true talent to refine that dress to a Tee. What you’re staring at right now is perfection!”

Applejack didn't understand at all, to her it just looked like a flower. “If you say so.”

“Um, I think it looks lovely, Rarity.” Fluttershy praised.

“Yeah! It’s all big and poofy like cotton candy!” Pinkie added.

“Well, at least some people around here have taste.” Rarity expressed, looking over at Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

“Hey!” Dash yelled, irritated by Rarity’s assumption. “I have taste, just not in... that.”

Rarity glanced at her watch, realising the time of the contest was drawing near. “Good Heavens, look at the time! I suppose I better make my way over to the gym for the contest.”

Sunset stood up from her seat, to wish Rarity luck on the contest, reaching out her hand for a shake. “Well, Rarity, let me just say- WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Sunset suddenly flew backwards at incredible speed and crashed into the back wall.

“Um, thank you?” Rarity was more than a little confused by Sunset's stunt.

Rainbow Dash, however, was impressed. “Woah! That was awesome! How did you do that, Sunset!?”

“I don’t even know what happened.” She answered in a daze, as Fluttershy helped pry her out of the wall. The moment she recovered, a thought suddenly sprouted in Sunset’s mind. This strange sensation felt familiar, in fact it was exactly like the other day. “Oh no! The arrow!”

She darted out of the room, with her friends following behind, except Rarity, who needed to make her way to the main hall, as it was almost time for the start of the Summer Costume Contest.

As her friends ran to the lockers, to check on Sky and the arrow, Rarity, wheeled her clothing rack and dress to the gym’s hall. As she barged through the doors she was expecting students from all over the city to have gathered for the contest, but was instead met with total silence. 

Despite going to all the trouble of setting up the school’s stage earlier, the hall was completely empty, with not a single frilly outfit to be seen. Rarity awkwardly wheeled her dress onto the stage, as the sound of the screeching wheels echoed throughout the gym. She felt concerned. Did she arrive too late? Or worse, did she set up the stage in the wrong location?

She didn’t have any way of checking if she had made a mistake, other than scanning through her phone, but she also didn’t feel she needed to. She had been preparing for this day for over a month. The fact that she could have made a mistake now was impossible. 

After a moment of waiting, someone finally entered the room. Pushing a similar rack with a clothing bag hanging from it. They wheeled their way onto the stage. 

“Oh, thank goodness you showed up.” Rarity expressed in delight. “For a second there, I thought I might have made a mistake.”

The other contestant was a girl wearing a Crystal Prep uniform, with her most noticeable features being her purple hair and blue scarf. The girl didn’t seem very interested in conversing with Rarity, but that didn’t stop her from attempting a little chat.

“So... are you looking forward to meeting Sassy Saddles?” The girl didn’t reply, she kept looking over at the door, distracted by something. Rarity took the opportunity to gush. 

“Well, I am. She’s been my idle for quite sometime now. Being given the chance to show off my designs and talents to her was the whole reason I entered this contest to begin with.” Still no reply from the girl. Rarity felt a little offended, the least she could do was acknowledge her existence.

The doors of the gym opened once more. This time a frail, blue haired girl, wearing a comfortable hoodie, cautiously entered the room. The other contestant suddenly rushed over to the girl and the two began talking. 

Although Rarity was curious about their conversation, she wouldn’t be so uncouth as to eavesdrop on them, not that she could hear anything they were saying from where she was standing anyway. 

“What took you so long? You're late!” The contestant impatiently asked.

“I didn’t take that long did I?”

“Oh, forget it, you didn’t bring the arrow, did you?”

“Oh, yeah, here it is.” The girl slipped the arrow out from her hoodie’s front pocket. 

“What are you doing, you idiot!?” The contestant scolded, gritting her teeth, in the hopes of keeping her voice down. “Put that thing away!”

The girl’s commotion certainly raised an eyebrow from Rarity, but she decided not to get involved as it was none of her business. 

“But I thought you said to bring you the arrow before the contest.” The hooded girl explained.

"I didn't mean seconds before it started, where are we supposed to hide this thing now!?"

"I'm sorry..."

“We don’t have time, just keep it in your pocket and come with me, Saddles will be arriving any minute.”

As the girls made their way to the stage, the doors from the other side of the gym burst open as Sunset Shimmer entered the room. The hooded girl immediately recognised her and promptly hid backstage, much to the confusion of her acquaintance. 

Sunset, not noticing the girl, called out to Rarity as she climbed onto the stage. “Rarity! The arrow’s been stolen!”

Rarity was mildly shocked. “Again? I told you hiding it in the same place twice was a bad idea."

"Yes, I'm an idiot, sue me."

Rarity took this sarcasm as sign that Sunset wasn't exactly proud of her decision and got down to business.

"Do have any idea where it could be?”

“Actually, we do have a lead.” Sunset smiled. For once, luck was on her side. “Sky managed to get a good look at the thief, well... not their face, but they were wearing a hoodie and used a weird magic cloth.” 

Rarity recalled seeing someone with a hoodie just a moment ago, but having only paid attention to them for but a brief moment, she couldn’t say for sure if they were truly connected to the theft. She looked over to the other contestant, but their friend had long gone. To avoid potentially accusing the wrong person she decided not to mention anything to Sunset until she was sure.

The other contestant overheard their conversation and immediately sprung into action. “Hi. I couldn’t help, but overhear your chat, did something happen?” 

“Who are you?” Sunset asked.

“I’m Suri Polomare, up and coming fashionista. I’m just concerned about this thief you mentioned.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it, we’ve got this.”

“You do? Why? Are thieves common in Canterlot High? I guess that’s what you get when you go to a cheap public school.”

Sunset didn’t take kindly to such an arrogant and unnecessary jab at her school’s reputation, but before she could make a move, Rarity stretched out her arm to block her, urging her not to make a scene.  

Suri got a rise out of Sunset’s reaction and continued to poke at her. “I guess that’s what you’d expect from the rundown, hick part of town. Crystal Prep would never tolerate their reputation being tarnished by such criminal activity, but I guess any school that’s willing to accept demon girls as students, must not have very high standards to begin with.”

As Suri hoped, Sunset became furious, with Rarity trying to physically hold her back. “Don’t do it, Sunset, she’s just trying to get under your skin.”

Sunset calmed herself, there was no reason to get upset when it was obvious Suri was looking for exactly that kind of reaction. “Sorry, still a little touchy about the demon thing.”

“That’s okay, but a lady mustn’t lose her cool. She must always remain calm and deal with the situation with grace and finesse. Never stoop to the vile actions of people like her.”

Suri saw an opening and quickly remarked. “The only vile thing around here is that horrific dress of yours.”

“WHAT THE DEVIL DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY DRESS!?”

Sunset instantly jumped in, holding Rarity back by the arms, as she ranted incoherently at Suri, who wasn't expecting such a powerful outburst. 

“Rarity!” Sunset pleaded. “Remember: a lady needs to remain calm and graceful.”

After tiring herself out, Rarity eventually came back to her senses. 

“You alright?” Sunset asked.

“I’m fine.” Rarity replied, fixing her hair and straightening her outfit. “I guess poor sportsmanship can exist even in the fashion world.” 

“What in blazes was that racket!?” Cried a voice with a posh accent.

“Oh my gosh!” Rarity squeed. “Sassy Saddles is here!”

“That’s odd.” Miss Saddles wondered. “Where are all the contestants? I expected more than just three of you.”

“It seems there was some sort of scheduling slip up.” Suri proposed.

“How outrageous. I, Sassy Saddles, am insulted by this lack of care. If this is all Canterlot has to offer, then I will not be wasting any more of my time here. I shall be leaving.”

Suri's heart skipped a beat, she hoped that eliminating the rest of the competition would allow her and her alone, the chance to look good in front of Sassy Saddles, but instead all her scheming did was push her away. Luckily for Suri, while she was stunned from her plan backfiring, Rarity took the initiative, lept off the stage and tried to reason with Miss Saddles.

“Miss Saddles, please! We’ve all worked very hard on these dresses, for months even. I apologise for the slip up, but please! All we ask is for your expert opinion on our work. If there’s only two of us then it shouldn’t take very long.”

“Who was the organiser of this event?”

“Principal Celestia, but she’s been preoccupied after her office was destroyed recently.”

Sassy was shocked by this rather bizarre news, but office destruction was not an excuse for negligence, however she could never resist the saddened look of young designers who were willing to prove themselves.

“Fine, but make this quick! I have a principal I need to reprimand later.”

The girls breathed a sigh of relief, there may not be a contest any more, but at least they’ll be able to show off their talents to a fashion elite. Rarity escorted her to the stage eagerly awaiting her assessment. Suri on the other hand was ready to put her own plan into motion, but she couldn’t risk it while Sunset was still in the room.

“Hey!” She yelled to Sunset. “Why are you still here? Don’t you have a thief to catch?”

As much as Sunset would have loved to stay, just to spite her, she really did need to search for the thief, she couldn’t waste any more time here. “I guess I better go meet up with the others. Good luck, Rarity!” 

With Sunset gone, Suri was ready. Even though there was no contest left to win, she couldn’t resist the urge to cheat anyway. Not only to bolster herself, but also as insurance. Humiliating Rarity now, would eliminate her as competition in the future. 

Rarity unzipped the bag hanging from the rack, revealing her crimson rose dress. Sassy’s eyes lit up from the sight of its beauty, but being a professional she saved her praise for after she had given the outfit a thorough examination.  

Sassy reviewed the dress, checking for any mistakes in the stitching or the durability of the materials. Unbeknownst to her, a stray piece of material had slipped into the outfit. A strip of cloth that slithered all over, leaving small tears in the fabric.

As Sassy examined the dress she started noticing the tears. “Oh my...” She sighed, disappointed. 

“Is something the matter?” Rarity nervously asked. 

“It seems you’ve been rather careless with the handling of this dress.” 

“What!? I’d never!” 

“Then how do you explain these tears in the fabric?”

Horrified and angered by Sassy’s claim, Rarity immediately examined her dress. There were indeed small rips across the bottom of the petals, making the dress appear ragged and ill kept. Rarity felt sick to her stomach, how could she possibly have allowed this to happen? Carelessness of this magnitude was completely contrarian to her proud perfectionist persona and yet, the damage was right there.

“I-I... I’m so sorry.” Rarity apologised, as she bowed her head in embarrassment. “I swear, I’d never be so callous as to allow any kind of damage to befall any of my wears.” 

“Perhaps the bag the dress was kept in damaged it slightly.” Sassy explained. “It’s unfortunate, but it can happen, especially with these cheap ones.”

Rarity suddenly perked up. “Really?” 

It seemed Suri needed to step up her game if she wanted to ruin Rarity's future career prospects. The cloth began to unwind the stitching near the shoulders of the dress and then hid. Sassy spotted the loose threads and questioned Rarity again.

“The stitching on this dress is rather haphazard, Rarity.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s loose, if this were to be caught on something it would unwind in an instant.”

“But, I was so careful, they couldn’t be loose.”

“See for yourself.” 

Rarity examined her dress again, just like before, she was horrified to see the loose threads. This was unacceptable, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she would ever leave such careless stitching without correcting it. It was inconceivable, there must have been some kind of mistake.

“The stitching is rather loose on this side, too.” Sassy commented.

“What!? No! That can’t be!” Rarity’s anxiety was building, it felt as if the whole universe was suddenly conspiring against her. She desperately pulled the dress off the rack to prove it was perfectly fine. “See! Th-there maybe a few mistakes, but it still looks beautiful! Right!?”

Suri enjoyed watching Rarity squirm, but it was time to put an end to her frantic farce. With a snap of her finger, the entire dress fell to pieces in Rarity’s hands.

As the pieces of her once magnificent masterpiece, gently drifted to the floor, without so much as letting out a squeak, Rarity collapsed with them, sobbing as she feebly tried to piece what was left of her garment back together.

“Well, that’s rather disappointing.” Sassy expressed sincerely. “It was so elegantly designed too, but no one would want to wear a dress that falls apart on them.”

Suri could just barely contain her laughter, now all she had to do was impress Sassy with her own outfit and call it a day. “Miss Sassy, allow me to present you my own outfit. I can assure you, it won’t fall to pieces like hers.”

She unzipped her bag and revealed her outfit. A black, slim uniform with skirt. Sassy examined the outfit, checking for any inconsistencies in its craftsmanship. No loose threads, no rips, no tears, everything seemed to be well made. 

Suri eagerly anticipated Sassy’s praise. 

“It’s a little bland, isn’t it?”

“Excuse me?” Suri responded. 

“Well, it’s just... it looks no different than a typical school or office uniform, it’s rather uninspired.”

“...what.”

"It's certainly well made, but there's already a million others out there like it."

"...huh." 

“Well, this was a rather lackluster turn out. A beautiful dress that falls apart under the slightest scrutiny and a dull uniform. I’ll definitely need to have a word with the principal after this catastrophe. As for you children, you performed admirably, I suggest you continue working on your craft and creativity, otherwise you’re never going to survive in the fashion world.”

With those words, Sassy took her leave. Suri was furious, after all the work she put in to eliminate the competition, she still couldn’t impress her. However, while Sassy was inspecting Suri’s dress, Rarity was inspecting her own and found a peculiar piece of cloth. It didn't look anything like the materials she used, nor did it look very special, until it started moving.

She grabbed hold of the wriggling rag, holding it tightly within her grasp, preventing its escape. A magical, moving cloth. This was all the proof she needed that foul play was afoot. She was furious, but kept her composure, at least until Sassy had already left. 

As Sassy exited the building, Rarity rose from her weeping mess and faced Suri with a powerful glare. 

“What’s with you?” Suri asked. “Mad that your drapes fell to pieces on you?”

“Indeed, I wonder how that happened?” 

“Who knows, I guess you’re just not cut out for this line of work.”

“Or, perhaps it was sabotage.”

“Yeah, as if I could do anything like that.”

"I don't recall accusing you of anything." Rarity smirked, destroying Suri's smug expression. "But, it seems I've found my culprit." 

Rarity presented the wriggling cloth. “You used this, didn't you!?”

“Ew, what’s that?”

“Suri, did you use some kind of magic to sabotage my dress?”

“What!? Magic!? Did you hit your head when you fell to the ground, crying? What an imbecilic claim!”

Rarity wasn't going to tolerate any more of Suri’s nonsense, she knew exactly what kind of magic was at play here and there was one very easy way to prove it. 

She summoned her Stand, Lady Fascination, in front of her. The sudden sight of Rarity’s ghostly Stand caught Suri off guard, as she jolted with shock. 

“Well, Suri.” Rarity exclaimed. “That reaction was all the proof I needed. If you can see my Stand then that means, you're a Stand user! And the Stand you used, was this cloth!”

“I... I had no idea you had a Stand, too!”

“You’ve clearly neglected your research, much like that dress of yours.”

“Well, you were half right. I really do have a Stand of my own, but it’s not that pathetic piece of fabric you’re holding.” A dark aura enveloped Suri as she revealed a murky, phantasmal shadow in the shape of a woman. 

“This is my Stand, Hunter Soul!"
> Part 9-2: Hunter Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh, my.” Rarity gasped. “That Stand looks as ghastly as your dress.”

“Quiet, you!” Suri’s Stand, a black, spectral woman, loomed over the stage. “Hunter Soul is far more impressive than that wriggling piece of cloth you’re clasping onto.”

Realising that the cloth didn’t belong to Suri, Rarity released it from her grip, allowing it to slither away, backstage. Rarity already had a hunch on who the cloth Stand really belonged to.

“Suri!” Rarity called. “You and your friend were the ones who stole the arrow from Sunset’s locker, weren’t you?”

“So what if we were? Would you promise to let us go free, if we returned it, peacefully?” Suri smirked.

Rarity chuckled to herself. “Oh, heavens no.” Abruptly followed by a striking glare as the torn pieces of what was once her masterpiece, ominously levitated around her. “I’m going to destroy you.” 

Lady Fascination manipulated the pieces of torn fabric, weaving them into a new object. Her declaration put Suri on edge and her Stand immediately jumped into action. 

Hunter Soul dove into the stage and swam toward Rarity. It released the lock on the trapdoor dropping Rarity underneath, in the hopes that it would be enough to interrupt whatever plan she was enacting. Rarity reacted quickly, her own Stand changed the texture of the floor beneath her into an elastic substance.

Landing into the elastic floor, Rarity sunk in and used the force of her fall to spring her herself back out of the stage and into the air. Taking advantage of her airborne momentum she dove toward Suri, with the intention of decking her in the face. 

Sadly, she wasn’t quick enough as Suri leapt back, just barely avoiding her. Before her fist collided with the ground, her Stand once again, changed the texture of the stage so it was as soft as a cushion, leaving Rarity’s fist unharmed. 

In their brief scuffle, the girls got a taste of what each of their Stand’s were capable of. Rarity’s ability to manipulate and transform matter versus Suri’s ability of possession. Before Suri could brag about how futile Rarity’s efforts were, Rarity was already in the middle of her next move, as her Stand wove her tattered dress into a nice, solid club that she quickly tossed at Suri’s face.

Thanks, once again, to her quick reflexes, Suri narrowly avoided being clobbered as the club flew past her and embedded itself into the wall behind, leaving a terrifyingly deep hole. Even Rarity was shocked by her Stand's power. “Oh, dear.” She laughed. “I suppose that was a bit much.”

Suri quickly realised that Rarity wasn’t the pushover she initially thought she was and promptly rushed off the stage. Rarity followed behind, no one messed with her dresses and got away with it. 

Suri hurried to the end of the gym and opened the storage room. Inside was equipment used for various sporting events and gymnastics. She didn’t care what was inside, as long as there was something she could use to get Rarity off her back. 

While there were various sharp objects like javelins she could abuse, they seemed a little too extreme and would probably leave a mess. She just needed something that could knock Rarity unconscious, something unorthodox and unpredictable. 

Hunter Soul had a much easier time possessing smaller objects as larger ones were more difficult to move. That’s when Suri discovered the crate full of basketballs. 

“Trying to hide in the storage room, are we?” Rarity scoffed.

“As if.” 

Suri threw the doors open, as a swarm of possessed basketballs flew toward Rarity, one after another. Staying quick on her feet and remembering her own horrible experiences with dodge ball, she dashed around the gym, weaving and bobbing to avoid each one.

But, it wasn’t over, the balls she dodged didn’t simply lay dormant on the floor. They were still possessed by Hunter Soul and they all quickly rose back into the air for another round. Rarity couldn’t dodge forever, once she was backed up against a wall, she had to defend herself.

As the second swarm of balls descended upon her, she used Lady Fascination to snatch a gym mat and flattened it into a strong, steel plate. As the balls rushed her, Lady span the plate in front of Rarity deflecting the balls away. Since each ball was possessed by Suri’s Stand, each deflection felt like a literal slap in her face.

Angered by Rarity’s persistent attempts at foiling her every move, Suri possessed the remaining gym mats and lined them up either side of Rarity, forming a set of walls, preventing escape. After setting the mats, Suri lined up the basketballs, preparing to drop them in the alleyway she created between the mats.

Rarity had nowhere to run but forward, but there was no way she’d be fast enough to reach Suri before being battered by more balls. Instead she formulated a counter to Suri’s plan. There was no time to create anything new, as she was still holding onto the mat she used previously and no convenient way of disposing if it.

With such little space to work with, Rarity levitated her mat above her head, to shield herself. As the balls descended upon her, like a falling tree trunk, her mat protected her from the bombardment. In hindsight, the solution to Suri's assault was rather simple.

This wasn't the end of Rarity's cunning plan. Once the balls landed in the alleyway, forming a perfect straight line, she then flipped the mat on top of them. Thanks to Suri’s own trap, Rarity could now ride her steel mat on top of the balls, like a treadmill, pushing herself toward Suri. This time she was determined to ram her fist straight into her smug face. 

Unfortunately the gap between them was too great, after sailing across the last ball, the treadmill came to a screeching halt and Rarity lost all her momentum as she landed on her feet, tripping slightly. Suri saw this brief opening as her chance to defeat Rarity using her own weapon.

She possessed the flattened mat and attempted to flip it once again, to crush Rarity, but Rarity quickly changed the texture of one of the mats walling her in, so she could jump through it like wet paper, safely escaping Suri's trap, as the steel hard mat crashed into Suri’s own face.

“Oh, dear.” Rarity giggled to herself. “Not the seasoned tactician I thought you’d be. I must admit I was fairly worried after you trapped me with those gym mats, but then I remembered, they’re just gym mats, my Stand can still change them just as easily as any other object.”

The flattened mat slowly slid off Suri’s bitter mug. Whether it was the mat's surprisingly light weight, or through sheer force of anger, Suri was still standing and still conscious, her pride was more wounded than her face. Tired of Rarity’s games, she decided to bring out her secret weapon.

Hunter Soul lunged itself at Rarity and flew inside her body. She felt paralysed and her mind started to black out. 

“What are you doing?” She cried, struggling to remain conscious.

“Finding different objects to possess and beat you with is such a bother, all that thinking and strategising... I’m just going to possess you instead and call that a win.”

Upon learning this new ability, Rarity tried her hardest to fight against Hunter Soul’s control.

“As... if... I’d... ever... allow... someone like you... to control... ME!” 

Despite Suri’s best efforts, Rarity’s willpower was too strong. The longer Hunter Soul tried to fight against her, the more pain Suri felt, like a splitting headache that grew more unbearable the longer she struggled. The pain grew too much for Suri to bare and she had no choice but to release her Stand from Rarity before she passed out.

Rarity tidied herself up. “Well, that didn’t accomplish much, did it? Are we done playing these little games now, or can I, finally redesign that face of yours?” 

A daring taunt, but Suri was too exhausted from her failed possession to snap back at her. She needed a break and to let someone else deal with Rarity for a while.

“COCO! GET OUT HERE, NOW!”

From behind the stage, the meek, hooded girl from earlier quietly stepped out. Her sky blue hair and pale skin further emphasised her weak disposition, as she hurried to Suri’s side in fear of being scolded again.

“Coco, I’m growing tired of this battle, take over for me, m'kay?”

“Uh, are you sure? She seems pretty strong and-”

“Quiet! Your whining is giving me a headache.” Suri complained, rubbing her temples. “Just use your Stand to... I don’t know, punch her or something.” 

“Yes, ma’am.”

Coco turned to Rarity and raised her fists. Rarity didn’t really understand why this girl was being so obedient, but she wasn’t about to let her guard down around Suri's subordinate. The red cloth from earlier appeared around Coco’s wrist, transforming into fighting gloves before she came charging at Rarity.

However, something didn't feel right. Coco’s charge didn’t have the determination and resolve one would usually have when one was about to rough someone up. Not only that but, the punches Coco threw weren’t very focused, as Rarity easily swayed back and forth avoiding them. She could hardly treat Coco as a serious opponent, let alone an enemy when even she seemed unsure of what she was doing.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked out of genuine concern. “You seem a little distracted, we can quit if you want. I'm really only interested in Suri.”

“No. I can still fight, I just need a little time to warm up.” Despite her will to continue, her shaky voice and saddened expression showed that she was clearly struggling. 

“Coco!” Suri called. “Will you just land a hit already!”

“I’m really trying, she’s too fast...”

With an exaggerated groan, Suri continued. “If you’re not going to take this seriously, then maybe I should take over!”

Coco appeared hurt by the idea, but she ultimately decided that it was probably for the best. “O-okay...”

“Is your break time finally over, Suri?” Rarity chided. “Honestly, how could you drag this poor girl into our fight like that? She’s clearly lacking in both skill and confidence. Now get over here and put up your dukes, I'm not done with you, yet!”

A sickly grin crawled across Suri’s face. “I’m not going to fight you, Coco is! I’m just taking over.”

“What?”

Hunter Soul emerged from Suri and flew into Coco’s body. Without even putting up a fight, the Stand took full control of her body as evidenced by the blank stare in her eyes.

Rarity was disturbed by the very idea of using another person as a puppet, but she didn’t have long to think about it as Coco rushed toward her. With Hunter Soul in control, there was no hesitation in her movements and her punches were much more precise, as they gave Rarity a tougher time dodging. 

Realising the gravity of the situation, Rarity ran over to the mats hoping to meld them into a weapon to fight with, but Coco was much faster than she was before. Lady Fascination only had time to rip a piece of the mat off before it quickly returned to Rarity to use said piece to defend her from Coco’s punch.

The mat piece cushioned the blow, but the sheer force of the impact sent Rarity flying out the back of the gym doors and into the field outside. As she flew Lady used the mat piece to soften the fall, but with little material to work with, Rarity still slid across the grass, leaving horrible grass stains on her favourite casual outfit. Truly, this was not her day.

Suri laughed at Rarity’s expense, congratulating herself on a job well done, but Rarity hadn’t given up. She dragged herself back up on her feet. 

“I guess you didn’t hit her hard enough, Pommel." Suri chuckled. "Why don’t you go finish the job for me?”  

Coco was about to follow Rarity outside when Suri suddenly called her back. “Wait! Just to be safe, you should hand that over to me. I don’t want it to get broken.”

After making some quick preparations, Coco headed outside to finish what she started.

Rarity was shocked by Coco’s strength, even though she presented herself as meek and shy, her Stand was devastating. Was this the power of Hunter Soul, or was Coco’s own Stand simply stronger than even Coco herself realised? 

She thought back on her fight with Suri and how exactly her Stand worked. Possession of objects and people, that’s when she remembered. This wasn’t the first time the girls had to deal with one of Suri's possessed minions.

A certain bulky individual, with a burly Stand, had also been a victim of possession, but that person’s power was most definitely their own. With that knowledge, Rarity concocted a strategy.

As Coco approached her, Rarity transformed the mat piece into a shield. Although it was small, it was strong enough to defend against any of Coco’s punches. 

Coco unleashed another series of powerful jabs that Rarity was successfully able to defend against. As they fought Rarity set her plan into motion. “Coco, I know you’re in there! I know you can hear me!” 

The possessed girl continued her assault, while Rarity continued to speak. “Why are you letting Suri control you like this? I know you can break free! I did, rather easily in fact, so I know you can do it, too!” Her attacks started slowing down, a sign that she was listening. “You don’t need her, Coco. She’s not your friend, she’s just using you, literally!”

Coco’s assault came to a halt. She calmed down, as Rarity held out her hand. “Come on, darling. You don’t need her bossing you around all the time.” 

Angered that Rarity’s words were having an effect so quickly, Suri tightened her control over Coco. 

“Hey! Are you actually listening to her!? I’m the one who gave you those powers! I’m the one who taught you how to use them! You didn't even have any friends until I showed up! You’re nothing without me!” Suri fought back against what little willpower Coco had to regain complete control over her. 

She smacked Rarity’s hand away and prepared a downward punch. Rarity raised her shield to defend herself, but despite blocking the attack, the force of the blow knocked her to the ground, as Coco kicked her shield away. 

Coco clenched her fist, preparing to end the fight, but with some quick thinking, Rarity, still lying on the ground found something else she could use as a weapon. She didn’t want to hurt Coco, but she needed to defend herself and so, by ripping the grass from beneath her, she transformed the torn blades into small needles that flew into Coco’s face. 

The needles were small and didn’t cause any serious damage, but the stinging pain was enough to stun Coco for a brief moment. Rarity used this chance to escape. She needed to break Suri’s control over Coco some other way and so she came up with another daring scheme. 

This time she regained her shield and transformed it into a small scythe, her Stand then used the scythe to hack away at the grass. Coco quickly recovered from being blindsided and chased after Rarity who was already running across the field hacking away at the grass. 

Suri laughed at the ridiculous display. "Look at that tiny little, scythe! What could you possibly accomplish with such a puny weapon!? Other than embarrass yourself!"

"A lot more than your cheap Stand!" Rarity responded.

After tiring herself out from the back breaking labour of mowing the lawn, Coco eventually caught back up to Rarity who was too tired to run away. Exhausting herself now was a gamble, but all that grass cutting was necessary for next stage of her plan.

All Rarity had to do now was buy time as she attempted to help Coco break through her mind control, once more. “Coco, you must understand. You are not weak!”

While Rarity continued giving Coco encouragement her Stand swirled the cut grass blades around them in preparation. “I know this because I have a friend just like you. She’s quiet and frail and doubts herself, but she’s still a Stand user just like us and her Stand is tall, powerful and reliable. She may appear to be a weak girl, but how can she when her Stand can punch craters into the earth with it’s bare fists?” 

Coco started hesitating again, despite Suri’s grip on her mind tightening, Coco could still hear Rarity’s voice.

“It’s because she’s strong, maybe not physically, but a Stand is a reflection of a person’s soul, their life force. Can someone with a Stand capable of such feats of strength really be considered weak? What about the strength to send a lady like myself careening helplessly through the air? Do you consider that weak?” Coco, stopped in her tracks as Suri’s grip on her loosened.

Rarity continued. “If you ask me, the only weak person here is Suri. A Stand that's only considered powerful when it's controlling others, is just the reflection of a soul that can’t do anything on their own and so, must rely on manipulating others to accomplish anything!”

“Hey, shut up!” Suri objected, rushing over to the battle, insulted.

However, Rarity refused. “But, you can’t even do that right, can you, Suri? Just ask Bulk Biceps, his memory may be foggy, but you couldn’t properly control him without screwing up, could you?”

“How do you know about that!? You weren’t even there!?”

“No, but my friends were. Bulk may be a little dim, but he’s not some brutish bully. It’s completely out of character for him to attack somebody for no reason. But after witnessing your Stand, it all made sense! Coco, you don’t need Suri to control you! She’s not strong, or even that smart, you’re much better off without her!” 

Coco was lost in thought. Deep down she knew what Rarity said was true, that Suri wasn't powerful, or smart and a horrible friend. She started to wonder why she ever listened to her in the first place, most likely out of loneliness. But, if Rarity, a complete stranger, believed in her, then maybe she could believe in herself and maybe she could make a real friend. One who didn't use her as a tool, in fact, as she thought harder, she came to the realisation, that she never wanted to be used as a tool again.

Suri could feel her grip slipping and her anger was only making it harder to concentrate, she needed to regain some control, just enough to finish the fight. “Don’t listen to her, you idiot! It’s a trick! She’s just trying to distract you, so she can use this grass for a counter attack! I'm the one in control! Listen to me!”

Snapping out of her deep thoughts, she examined her surroundings. The girls had been encompassed by a whirlwind of grass needles, but there was one small detail Suri had overlooked, a detail Rarity was more than happy to point out to her. 

“Who said I was aiming for Coco?” 

The grass needles all stopped in the air and pointed toward their target. A target that was much easier to hit now that she had inadvertently stepped into their range. 

“I told you she wasn’t very smart.” 

By the time Suri realised she had screwed up, it was already too late. The needles all darted toward her, puncturing every inch of her body. Just like before, they weren’t deep enough to cause any serious damage, but the pain was more than enough for Suri to lose her grip over Coco’s mind.

Hunter Soul had been successfully exercised from Coco’s body, freeing her from Suri’s control. Rarity supported her, as she regained her senses. She then, immediately turned to Suri, who was awkwardly plucking needles from her body.

Coco confronted her ex-friend with a daunting glare. Suri didn’t know what to say and instead attempted to throw her Stand at Coco again, but it was ineffective. Having realised just how weak Suri truly was, Coco had absolute confidence in her power and easily smacked Hunter Soul aside with her own Stand. 

"After everything I did for you and you still call me an 'idiot'." 

With her powers no longer being a viable option, Suri had only one trick left. “Um... I’m sorry?” 

"Denied." Coco responded with a swift punch to the face, sending Suri flying back into the gym. 

After breathing a massive sigh of relief, as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders, she turned to Rarity. “I... I’m so sorry, for what I did to your dress.”

Rarity was a little shocked that Coco instantly returned to her meek demeanor. Hard to believe she just sent someone on a one way trip through the gym, just mere seconds ago. 

“Oh, please, don’t worry about it. We all know who’s really to blame in all this.” Rarity chuckled.

“I’m still sorry.”

“Why were you even with that horrid woman to begin with?”

“I thought she wanted to be my friend, but I guess she was just looking for someone to boss around, instead.”

“She’s the one who gave you that Stand, right?” She pointed to the cloth wrapped around Coco’s arm.

“Yeah, I didn’t really understand how, but I figured if she was willing to share a special power like this with me, then maybe she wanted to be friends.”

“What’s it called?”

“A Stand.”

“No, I mean, what’s your Stand called?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t know you could name them.”

Rarity was appalled that Coco's Stand wasn't even given a name, Suri was truly a wicked individual. “Well, this simply won’t do at all. Luckily, I have the perfect name in mind. How about: Make Oneself.” 

“Make Oneself... yeah, that sounds nice.” Coco smiled.

“Oh, speaking of Stands.” Rarity suddenly remembered. “You were the one who stole the Unicorn Arrow from Sunset’s locker, correct?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry about that, too.”

“That’s okay, but we really do need that back. Don’t want it falling into the wrong hands, do we?”

“Oh, sure, let me just...” Coco felt around her clothes only to realise that she no longer had the arrow in her possession. “Um, it’s gone.”

"What? I thought you had it?"

"I did! I put it in my front pocket, but it's gone!"

“But, if you don’t have it, then...” Rarity and Coco turned their attention to the gym.

Hoping to find an unconscious delinquent lying flat on her face, they instead only found small bloodstains leading away from the school.

“Um, I think she just ran away...” Coco explained.

Rarity could no longer contain her anger. Outraged by Suri's cowardice.

“That... that... HARLOT!"
> Part 10: Suri's Last Stand
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Miss Rarity, please calm down. Stomping your feet and cursing under your breath isn’t going to solve anything.” Coco gently pleaded to an enraged Rarity. 

After defeating Suri Polomare and her possession Stand, Hunter Soul, Rarity and Coco took the time to discuss their situation and exchange apologies like civilised adults. However, during this brief moment of distraction, Suri took the opportunity to silently slip away, leaving Rarity in a strop. 

“Oooh, curse that conniving, little delinquent! I should have captured her when I had the chance!” 

“It’s okay. At least you saved me.” Coco smiled.

While she appreciated her kind words, Rarity still felt like a failure, but seeing Coco’s face sparked off another idea.

“We’re not done yet.”

“We aren’t? Did you think of a way to find Suri?” 

“Oh no, this is something much more important.”

“What?” Coco asked, as Rarity suddenly grabbed her arm, leading her across the field, toward the school. “Where are we going?”

“I’m bringing you inside, so we can clean your face of all those nicks and scrapes.”

“But, what about Suri? She’s getting away! I’m fine!”

“Don’t be daft. I can’t let you be seen like this, we must clean you up, posthaste. Suri will get hers soon enough.”

Just outside of the school, Suri managed to scramble together enough energy to shamble to the front entrance. With the coast clear, she took this chance to rest and recompose herself. 

“I can’t believe that snooty witch tricked me like that. Now I don’t have any lackeys left to boss around...” As Suri sat on the steps of the school entrance, picking tiny grass needles from every corner of her body, she thought about the other Stand users that man had gathered. 

“What happened to those guys anyway? It’s like they all disappeared and that anti-social shadow doesn't seem to care at all. I thought we were going to build an army of Stand users together, whom we'd have at our beck and call, but now they’re all gone.

And what was up with Rarity? Why was she so tough? She couldn’t have had her Stand for very long and yet, she trounced me. I don’t get it!”

After letting off steam with her ranting, she pulled out the Unicorn Arrow from under her clothing. “Well, at the very least, I still got this. Maybe I can use it as a bargaining chip or something... yeah... with this in my possession, he'll have no choice but to do as I say! I'll march right up to that man and make him answer to me!”

“Sounds great! Mind if we join you?” From atop the staircase stood Applejack and Rainbow Dash, idly leaning against the door, with Stands at the ready, having overheard Suri’s loud monologuing. 

Upon realising that the girls were enemy Stand users, Suri wasted no time in summoning Hunter Soul. The spirit possessed the doors and promptly slammed them shut in the girl’s faces. Suri then made a run for it, she had enough trouble dealing with one Stand user, let alone two. 

Flustered by the sudden door in their face, Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly followed after Suri down the street. Despite her injuries, she was determined not to get caught. The park wasn’t far, she just needed to keep them off her tail until she reached the forest. 

Unfortunately, Dash and Applejack were the most athletic of Sunset’s friends and it wasn't long before they got dangerously close to her. She needed to slow them down and her Stand was the only way she knew how.

As she ran past an alleyway, Hunter Soul possessed a couple of garbage bags to hurl at the girls. 

“I got it!” Dash called, as her Stand spread it’s sharp wings and slashed through the bags with a single swipe, allowing them to run straight through, unfazed. 

As a result of the possessed bags being sliced in half, a massive gash appeared on Suri’s shoulder, as if someone had just hacked away at her with a knife, with a stream of blood gushing out. The pain was sharp, but not enough to stop her as she pressed on toward the park gates. 

“What the heck are you doing, Dash!?” Applejack chided.

“What? What’d I do?” 

“You can’t just go around slashing away at things like that! We wanna catch her, not cut her arm off!”

“I didn’t know that would happen! What was I supposed to do, just let the garbage hit us in the face!?”

“You should have dodged it or smacked it away! Use your head for once!”

“And how do you know that would have worked!? You don’t know what her Stand can do, what if she wanted us to do that!?”

“Don’t you give me lip about Stand powers, when you barely have control over your own!”

“I’m just working with what I’ve got, and if what I’ve got is super sharp wings, then I’m gonna use them!”

Amidst their heated argument, Applejack noticed that they had lost track of Suri. “Oh, now look! She got away!”

“Don’t yell at me! You’re the one who stopped chasing her to lecture me on proper Stand usage!”

“Where could she have gone?” 

Dash looked around and quickly discovered suspicious looking blood spots leading down the street. “Hey, looks like she left a trail.”

“Yeah, we can use that to track her.”

“'Thank you Rainbow Dash, for making a trail that'll lead us straight to her. I guess you really can use your head. You are so awesome!' Hey, no problem, Applejack!” 

“Oh, gimme a break...”

Suri hurried through the park until she reached the Time Dial. That man’s hideout was in the forest close by. However, by the clock sat a girl she recognised, drawing some kind of strange graffiti on the pavement. 

“Hey, you!” Suri called to the girl. “What the heck have you been doing all this time!? Discord, Lightning, Gilda, they all disappeared and I’ve been stuck cleaning up their mess, while you completely vanished! What have you been doing this whole time, Starlight!?”

Starlight, stood up and examined Suri. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she’d had a rough day, with the tears in her clothes, the needles poking out of her skin and the way she was clutching that nasty gash on her shoulder. She almost felt sorry for her.

“I guess you’ve seen better days, haven’t you?” Starlight mocked. 

“Don’t taunt me! I’m your superior! You should have been the one risking their life to get the arrow back, not me!”

“Superior?” Starlight chuckled. “Are you still working with that man? Still a member of his pathetic, super villain group?”

“Of course I am! Have you forgotten what happens to those who betray him!?”

“Something about experiencing true darkness, right? What an empty threat that was. He hasn’t done anything to anybody, he just sits in that room all day, blindly believing all the pieces will just fall into place on their own, but all he’s really accomplished is wasting everybody’s time. Unlike him, I've been taking action!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tell me, Suri. Have you ever wondered what that man's true motives are?” Starlight goaded, flashing Suri a familiar looking notebook. 

“Hey! That’s his notebook! How did you get that!? And what are you doing with it!?”

Suri attempted to reclaim the notebook, but Starlight’s Stand, Diva, blocked her path. It’s intimidating stance warned Suri not to come any closer. 

"What happened to your Stand? It was so wimpy before, why is it so much bigger?" 

"I've been practising." 

Suri grew anxious, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were just behind her and now an entirely new problem had presented itself. 

“Starlight, what are you planning to do with that notebook?” She asked in desperation.

“Why don’t you ask that man instead? Oh, and while you’re at it, can you ask him his real name, referring to him as “that man” all the time is irritating.”

Starlight made her escape as Dash and Applejack came into view. With no time to waste, Suri darted into the forest with the girls following close behind. 

“Dash, wait!” Called Applejack.

“No way! I’m not losing her again!” Dash continued to chase Suri into the forest, but the moment she ran through the bushes, Suri vanished out of sight. Gone, without a trace. Dash was confused for a moment, but pressed on anyway. If she just kept moving forward she’d find her eventually. 

It wasn’t long before Dash saw a light, hoping it would lead straight to her hideout, she picked up the pace. She finally exited the forest with a triumphant yell. 

“You're not getting away that easily!”

“Trust me. I would if I could.” Replied an amused Applejack.

“Wait, what? What happened? How’d I get back here?”

“Didn’t you listen to a word Sunset said?”

“Obviously not! I'll just try again!” Dash immediately rushed back into the forest, only to come running back out only a minute later, much to her shock.

“What!? But, all I did was run straight forward!”

“Dash, will you just listen for once...?” Applejack sighed, losing her patience. “That forest is protected by a Stand, we can’t just rush in there.”

“But, their hideout is right there! And we can’t even get in!?”

“Nope.”

“Then I’ll fly in!”

“Dash, wait!”

Attaching her Stand to her back, Dash flew over the forest and found what appeared to be an old house. Confident that she had located their hideout she flew toward it, but as soon as she got close, her vision became hazy, as reality itself warped and contorted. To avoid crashing, she slowly descended to the ground. Once she landed, her vision stabalised. Even though she was directly above the clearing, she somehow ended up back inside the forest. 

She made a break for the house, but inevitably, she wound up back outside with Applejack again.

“Seriously!?” She cried. “I can’t even fly in!? How are we supposed to get past this thing!?”

Applejack shrugged, she was just as stumped as Dash was. “Fluttershy managed to get past it somehow, so their must be a way, we just haven’t figured it out yet. Come on, let’s go report back to Sunset.”

“This is so stupid!” Dash screamed in frustration.

Suri hurried inside the rickety old house having successfully retrieved the Unicorn Arrow and avoided her pursuers. Now that she was inside the safety of that man’s stronghold, she could finally relax. She made her way to the living room and collapsed on the sofa.

Stronghold may have been an exaggeration, as the building itself was nothing special. It was ancient, abandoned and creaky. There was no running water or electricity and with the curtains drawn the building was cloaked in pitch darkness. 

Suri sat up and stared at the arrow in her hand. Thanks to her unexpected encounter with it, she had quite a troublesome week. Meeting a strange man who bestowed strange powers upon her, meeting other strange individuals with strange powers and formulating strange plans. The whole situation was just... bizarre.

But despite some recent setbacks, Suri ultimately enjoyed her time as a Stand user. While her comrades weren’t the friendliest people, she still appreciated their company. It wasn’t everyday she became part of a special group, all of whom had a shared interest.

However, as time passed, her subordinates left, as Sunset's group took them out, one after another, as her personal goal was shoved further and further to the wayside. Her dream of gathering a team of like minded Stand users seemed ever more fleeting. Now, she was the only one left in this empty house, beside that man. 

The one who orchestrated the entire plan from the start and yet, did the least amount of work, other than occasionally give orders. His word was absolute and yet, his actions were minimal. A man who refused to leave his small, darkened hideaway for anything, while Suri's comrades risked their lives following his orders. She questioned whether the man was even fit to be her leader at all and her encounter with Starlight had her questioning his motives.

The more she thought about it the angrier she got. She didn’t care how scary he was, she needed answers. Suri marched across the hallway to the man’s room and threw the door open. 

As usual, the man sat at his table, watching his monitor in complete darkness, paying no mind to Suri’s sudden intusion. 

“Sir.” She addressed. “I’ve brought back the Unicorn Arrow.”

The man didn’t answer.

“You... you did need this back, right?” 

“Answer me this, Suri.” The man replied. “What was it like fighting another Stand user?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did it excite you? Frighten you? Or was it just a bother?” 

Suri wasn’t expecting the man to suddenly start asking her questions and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“I... don’t know...”

“When your Stands clashed, could you feel the weight of their power? Was there a noticeable gap in your strength? Or, were you evenly matched? Could you even tell at all?”

Suri stormed into this room with a burning rage, but the man’s calm demeanor and sudden queries made her tense up. He barely spoke a word, but now she felt like she was being interrogated. It was unsettling, but this did give her the opportunity to address another concern, plaguing her thoughts. 

"I did notice something, there was a gap in our power."

"Go on."

“She was strong... really strong.”

The man turned slightly in his chair to face her, his interest piqued. 

Suri continued. “I don’t understand. Why was she so strong? Her... and that apple girl too... she beat Bulk so easily... and that Rainbow girl! She was so fast, her wings were so sharp!” 

The man's piercing red eyes focused on Suri.

“Now that I think about it, the others were defeated just as easily. But how? We’ve had our Stands longer and yet Rarity and her friends... are more powerful? This doesn’t make any sense!”

“It appears my theory was correct.” The man replied. He rose from his chair, walking over to his window to stretch his legs. Suri was shocked that the man could move at all.

“What theory? What’s going on?”

“The key to this whole operation was patience. If I acted too quickly and was found out, Sunset's friends wouldn't be the only elements hunting me down. The plan would fail immediately. However, I also needed to be certain that their powers were real, that they weren't just a fluke. I needed to be one hundred percent certain, that none of this was a coincidence.” 

After showing barely any emotion throughout the past week, the man seemed pleased with himself, even if he still remained stoic.

“And then there's Starlight, the traitor. That foolish girl thinks she can steal my plans and use them for her own childish needs? But, all she's really done is finish all of the busy work for me.”

Suri grew more agitated, she came here to demand answers, but the man’s sudden change in attitude put her on edge, she didn’t understand a word he was saying.

“Power? Coincidences? What does that have to do with anything? Just who are those girls!?”

“I must thank you, Suri.” The man suddenly faced her. Even from a distance, his large physique seemed to cast a shadow, looming over her. 

“With your reckless approach at recruiting Stand users, you have accidentally stumbled upon the powers I was searching for. I was prepared to stay in this world for much longer, until I discovered them myself, while the Stand users of this place grew strong enough. All so I could one day put my plans into motion, but it appears your random shots in the dark have somehow worked out in my favour. I guess this is what they call 'Fate'?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

The man thought for a moment, but decided there was no harm in sharing a few details with her. It was the least he could do, as a reward her for all her hard work. 

“The Unicorn Arrow was originally designed to draw out the latent magical powers inside non-unicorns, however in this world, magic does not exist.”

Suri was shocked that the man was actually explaining himself. “Non-unicorns? This world? You say that like you're from some alternate universe... wait a minute... does this have something to do with the weird stuff that's been happening at that school? Like those weird portals at the Friendship Games?”

“I have little knowledge of those events. All you need to know is that magic should not exist in this world. But, when creatures and objects cross into this world from the other side, they undergo a transformation, in order to adapt to this new world. The Unicorn Arrow was no exception.

While its appearance remained unchanged, its power to awaken the magic from within was slightly modified. Now, it can bestow the humans of this world with Equestrian magic, but since magic does not naturally exist here, the Stands created from it were weaker than those from my world, but with enough time and practise, even human magic can improve, giving human Stands just as much potential as any other. 

Now, this is where things get interesting. If the arrow bestows and awakens the magic hidden within a human's body, then what do you suppose would happen if a human, who was already imbued with magical energy, was then pierced by the arrow?”

A thought clicked in Suri's head. She started to understand what was happening. “The arrow would awaken the magical energy, which means, any Stands born from it, would be stronger by default. Like, they were given a head start, compared the average person!”

“Indeed, watching your subordinates lose to those girls, time and again, was more than enough evidence to confirm my theory.”

“So, we never stood a chance...? No! That’s not fair! There’s more to Stand battles than just power. They were just bad match-ups, that’s all!”

“I’d rather not listen to your whining. Your people served me well, Suri, but I no longer require your services. You’re free to leave whenever you want.”

“What!? But... I thought we were going to create an army of Stand users. We’d gather together and... I don’t know... take over the school, or the city, or something!”

The man was amused by Suri’s childish fantasy, but wasted no time dragging her back into reality. 

“That plan was merely a means to an end. Now that I’ve found what I’m looking for, you are no longer needed.”

“But, everyone’s gone...”

"That's none of my concern."

"No! I... I want my friends back!"

The man was surprised by Suri’s tenacity. Purely out of his own fascination, with Stand powers in the human world and for his own amusement, he devised a plan. 

“Very well, Suri. I’ll propose a challenge. Use the arrow to recruit one more Stand user and if you can use them to defeat at least one of Sunset’s friends, then that should be proof enough that I was wrong and we shall continue working together, but if you lose, do not interfere with me again.”

“Fine! I’ll show you! Human Stands are just as strong as whatever, weird magical realm you’re from!”

Suri stormed out of the room, so caught up in her rage that she completely forgot to ask the man what his real plans even were in the first place. The man returned to his chair. The time was drawing near, but there was no reason to rush, as there was still one more thought plaguing his mind. “How do I gather them all together?”

Stumbling back onto the streets of Canterlot, Suri was determined to find a Stand user that could defeat one of Rarity’s friends. She tried to be as conspicuous as possible in case one of those friends was still lurking the city. 

She searched around, but finding someone with the potential to manifest a powerful Stand was surprisingly difficult. Most candidates she considered were just normal people, their was no way to tell just by looking, if they had any potential at all and she didn’t want to end up with any duds.

Suri grew tired of wandering the city and her wounds were only adding to her stress. They started healing more quickly than expected, but were still sore. This would have been a really good time to call Coco to do the work for her, but sadly, that was no longer an option. She just had to grit her teeth and bare it... until she noticed the bench at the bus stop and lounged across it. She could still keep looking, just without any of the pesky exercise.

Some time passed, as the bus arrived to drop off its passengers. The bus was packed, as it was the end of another busy work day in the city. As Suri watched the flood of people rush out of the vehicle, amidst the crowd she spotted a unique looking individual.

A man wearing a black poncho and matching cowboy hat stepped onto the sidewalk. He strolled down the street with his hat covering his face. He exuded an aura of calm seriousness, like a man on a mission. 

Suri could feel it in her gut. His strange appearance and demeanor were the signs of a potent Stand user. It was as if her own Stand resonated with him, like it was destiny. She followed the man until there were less people around, she needed to make sure she had a clear shot of him. As soon as they were alone, Hunter Soul possessed the arrow and shot itself into the mystery man’s back.

As with other Stand users, the man was overwhelmed by magical energy for a brief moment, as if the blood rushed to his head. Upon regaining his senses, the man felt a prick in his back. He reached behind himself and pulled out the arrow. Though it stung at first, the wound quickly healed over.

Confused by the sudden appearance of an arrow in his back, the man turned around hoping to find the culprit of this bizarre assault, at which point he spotted Suri. 

“Hey!” He called, smiling. “Is this yours!?”

Suri was puzzled, the man had just been pierced by a sharp weapon and yet he yelled with childlike enthusiasm, in complete contrast to his appearance. In response to his question, Suri summoned Hunter Soul, once again.

The man screamed girlishly. “Spooky ghost!”

“This isn’t a ghost.” Suri corrected, already regretting her decision. “What you are witnessing is my Stand. And if you can see it, that means the arrow that pierced your back has granted you the ability to wield a Stand of your own!”

“Wait, what’s happening now?” The man asked, staring blankly.

“It means you have magic powers. You're a Stand user.”

“Oh, well that’s convenient. I’ve been meaning to find a stand to hang my hat on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What? Come on, don't you get it?” The man chuckled.

“Stop that.”

“Why? Can’t stand my jokes?”

“Listen to me you ingrate! I just gave you powers from another world, the least you could do is listen to me!”

“Geez, lady. Maybe I should pierce you with this arrow, it might give you a sense of humour.”

Suri had a stressful day. The last thing she wanted to hear were childish jokes. She took a deep breath and asked for the man’s name. 

“Me? Why I’m the harbinger of hootenannies, the bringer of ballroom bashes, the greatest pioneering party pony of all time!”

“Party... pony?”

“What? Oh right, I’m the human me, so I guess that makes me a party... human? No that’s not right... party person? Yeah! Alliteration! The greatest party person on the planet!”

“Your name?”

“Oh, Cheese Sandwich!”

“You can’t be serious.”

“As serious as the gun in my holster.” Cheese reached for his waist and pulled up his pistol. Only to scream in realisation that he just pulled out an actual pistol.

Suri had already lost patience with Cheese and his infantile behaviour. “What is your problem!?”

“Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to happen. I had no idea I was actually packing heat.” Cheese examined the firearm, a bright and colourful six shooter that, thankfully, wasn’t loaded. “I wonder where it came from?”

A gun spontaneously appearing from nowhere? Suri had a pretty good idea. She walked over to Cheese to examine the gun herself. Without even touching it she could tell, her soul resonated with it. “This fruity pistol must be your Stand.”

“Wait... you get a magical ghost and all I get is a gun? That’s lame...” Cheese lamented... for about two seconds before immediately getting excited again. “I wonder how it works!?” 

“Don’t point that thing at me!” Suri yelled, batting the gun out of her face.

“Oh, come on. I know what I’m doing.” Cheese shrugged, as the gun misfired into the wall beside them, blasting a hole roughly the size of a tennis ball. “Uh, I didn't do that.”

Suri tried to ignore the spontaneous property damage and focused on her objective. “Listen, you. I’m Suri Polomare, and I’m the one in charge here. I didn’t just give you those powers out of the kindness of my heart.”

“You didn’t?” Cheese asked, looking down the barrel of his gun.

“I have a job that only you can take care of.”

“Sure, but under one condition.”

“What?”

“Can I give my Stand a cool name?”

“Uh... fine, whatever.”

“Awesome, imma call it: Nothing Out of the Ordinary! I can call it: NOOTO, for short!”

“I don't care, now follow me.”

Suri guided Cheese back to Canterlot High. The school day had ended, but there were still students lingering, some for extra classes, while others were stuck in detention. Not wanting to cause a scene, Suri considered waiting until all the students had left to find a Stand user for Cheese to fight, but luckily one particular student had different plans.

Suri and Cheese hid in the bushes by the school field as they spotted Pinkie Pie, who appeared to have snuck outside to secretly snack on some goodies she stashed in her hair. Out in the field, she found a nice spot with a bench to relax on. 

“You know.” Pinkie thought aloud. “I should really be in after school classes right now, but pfffft, when am I ever going to need math anyway? It’s such an amazing day today, I’d much rather be napping in the sun.” Pinkie laid down on the bench, ready to fall asleep.

“Okay, now’s our chance.” Suri whispered. “I need you to take her out with your Stand.”

“What? Why?”

“Because she’s our enemy and I need to prove that we’re capable of defeating them.”

"We're capable? Who's "we're"? Is it you? Did you lose? Is that why you look like you just crawled out of a toilet?"

"Will you shut up and do as I say!?"

“I don't know, I'm not sure if I should be shooting her, or anyone...”

“It doesn’t have to be fatal, just cripple her or something.”

Cheese wasn’t really up for crippling people, but if it got Suri off his back, he decided to play along. He still wasn’t quite sure what his Stand power was exactly, so he pulled out his gun, took aim and hoped for the best. 

He pulled the trigger and fired with a loud bang, waking Pinkie from her nap and causing her to immediately jump to her feet, assuming a karate pose. “What!? Who’s there!?” 

Pinkie analysed the surrounding area and found something odd in the grass, near the bushes. She picked it up for a closer look. “Is this... confetti?”

Suri was dumbfounded as Cheese pointed to his gun in excitement. “Look, Suri. Streamers.” 

Suri was about to give Cheese the reprimanding of a lifetime, but Pinkie called out to the bushes. “Hey! Who’s in there!?”

Not wanting to get caught herself, Suri quickly shoved Cheese out of the bushes and onto his face. 

“Who are you?” Pinkie asked.

Cheese quickly jumped back up, dusted himself off and fixed his hat. He then put on his serious face. “The name’s Cheese. Cheese Sandwich!"
> Part 11: Nothing Out of the Ordinary
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed at the strange man in a cowboy suit, who just fell out of the bushes and suddenly introduced himself. “Cheese Sandwich? Is that really your name?”

“Indeed it is, Pinkie!”

Pinkie gasped. “How did you know my name?”

“What? Oh, that’s your name!? I just called you that because you were pink.”

Pinkie gasped a second time. “How did you know where I got my name? You’re good!”

“Thanks!”

“So, why were you hiding in the bushes, spying on high school students?”

“Huh? Why was I hiding?” Cheese was stumped, as he scratched the side of his head with the barrel of his gun, briefly forgetting what he was doing.

“Hey! What’s with the gun?” Pinkie asked.

“Gun? Oh yeah!” The sight of his flashy firearm jogged his memory. “It's called a Stand.” 

“You have a Stand, too!?” Pinkie exclaimed, excited to meet a fellow Stand user.

“Why, yes, it appears I do.”

“What is it? What can it do? What’s it’s name?”

Cheese got into position, adjusting his hat, once again putting on his serious face. He pointed his gun at Pinkie, while striking a dramatic pose. “This is my Stand: Nothing Out of the Ordinary.” Cheese then sporadically dropped his serious demeanor. “I call it NOOTO, for short.”

“I wanna show off my Stand, too!” Pinkie cried, summoning a small pink pony to rest on her shoulder like a parrot. “This is my Stand, Birthday Train.”

“Waddup!” The Stand replied.

“But, that’s a pony.”

“I know! Isn’t it cool!?”

Absorbed by Pinkie’s enthusiasm, Cheese couldn’t help but burst out laughing, as Pinkie laughed with him. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except Suri, who was quietly fuming in the bushes.

To snap Cheese out of his moronic laughter, she picked up a small rock and used Hunter Soul to toss it at the back of his head. The rock successfully caught Cheese’s attention as he turned to the bush that was hissing at him.

“Could you excuse me for a moment?” Cheese requested. “My bush seems to be calling me.”

“What are you doing?” Suri sharply whispered.

“I’m having fun.”

“You’re supposed to be fighting not having fun.”

“I don’t know, that sounds kinda dangerous... what if we all became friends, instead?”

“Yeah, sure let's all be friends and sing songs, like we don't have a care in the world."

"That sounds awesome!"

"NO! Now, unless you want my Stand to take over your consciousness and do all the fighting for you, like a puppet, I suggest you stop laughing and start fighting.”

“Alright, fine. No need to get all possessive over me.” 

“Your bush was kinda loud. What did want?” Pinkie asked.

“Sorry, Pinkie, but my bush says we can’t be friends.”

“What!? Tell your bush he’s a big meanie!”

“I don’t think that’s going to help, I’ll probably just make it mad.”

Pinkie rolled up her sleeves. “Then let me give it a piece of my mind!”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s going to help, either.”

Not wanting to be found out, Suri used Hunter Soul to possess a few small rocks, to throw at Pinkie, which all bounced off her face. 

“Hey!” She yelled. “Your bush threw rocks at me!” 

“Yeah, we should probably leave the bush alone. I’m the one you’re supposed to be fighting.”

Pinkie marched back to her spot in a huff. She never thought a bush could be such a bully.

Before their battle began, Pinkie felt she needed to explain something, first. “You know, I’ve been messing with my Stand powers all week and honestly, I don’t think they’re really cut out for fighting.”

“Well, that’s fine.” Cheese responded, raising his gun. “This will be over in a jiffy.”

“No, I mean, I don’t think you're going to accomplish much by fighting it.”

“What? But, it’s just a little pony. What could that miniature equine possibly do?”

“I guess there’s only one way to find out!” Pinkie widened her stance, leaving herself unguarded for Cheese.

Cheese had no idea what she was trying to do, but he took aim with his gun, anyway. He was hesitant for a moment, he really didn’t want to hurt her too badly and so he aimed for her shoulder. He still wasn’t sure how exactly his Stand worked, but felt this next shot would help him get a better grasp of what it could really do.

He aimed for her shoulder and fired with the same loud bang as before. The gun fired a bullet that exploded upon impact knocking Pinkie to the ground.

Cheese breathed a sigh of relief. “I think I get it now! This little doohickey fires whatever I need, at the time I fire it, like its turning my thoughts into ammo! So, when I'm not thinking of anything, it just defaults to air bullets. Oh man, I hope those bullets didn't hurt her too bad.”

Assuming his job was done, Cheese was about to take his leave, but the moment he turned around, he got a bad vibe. “Wait a minute, my Cheese senses are a-tingling.” He spun back around and was shocked.

Pinkie was back on her feet with a large hole where her shoulder should be, her arm hanging by a thread. There was no blood or broken bone, her body looked more like torn up bubblegum.

Cheese screamed. “What happened!? Are you a zombie!?”

Pinkie giggled as her shoulder repaired itself, healing completely. “Of course not! If I were a zombie, I’d be all shambly and rotty.”

“Right... Oh! I bet your Stand did that, right?”

“Yep. I told you fighting it was pointless.”

“We’ll see about that!” Cheese took aim again, this time firing multiple shots into Pinkie Pie, hoping to inflict some permanent damage. Her body was filled with holes as Pinkie recoiled from each shot, but even after taking so many at once, she wouldn’t fall down. 

Impressed by Pinkie’s resolve, Cheese realised he needed more firepower if he was going to stand a chance of winning. Without even thinking about how, he instinctively spun his gun on his finger as it transformed into a shotgun. 

Pinkie was enamoured by the sudden transformation, giving Cheese prime opportunity to unload a buckshot blast into her. The force of the blast was finally enough to knock Pinkie to the ground.

“Whew!” Cheese sighed. “This Stand is just full of surprises! But, I wonder...” Cheese fired his gun into the air, as a burst of confetti and streamers rained down on him. 
“Nice.”

“Streamers!? I wish my Stand could shoot streamers!” Cheese’s celebration was cut short, as Pinkie Pie had already recovered from her bullet wounds. Even her clothes looked good as new.

The gung-ho gunman was stunned, but Suri was horrified. Of all the Stands she had encountered, this one was by far the most unfair. How could she possibly defeat a Stand that made its user immune to all damage? She was losing her mind, trying to figure out how she could even defeat an immortal, until she noticed something wander into the bushes just beside her. Pinkie’s Stand had found a comfy little spot where it sat patiently. 

“What?” She thought. “Why is her Stand just sitting by itself? It’s not even doing anything, it’s just watching. Why isn’t it doing anything?” The sight of such a powerful Stand doing nothing irritated Suri even further. “There must be a trick, a gimmick its exploiting and I’m going to find it.”

Hunter Soul slowly crept up to Birthday Train and grabbed it by the tail without it noticing, but once the pint-sized Stand was in its grasp, it reacted by screaming uproariously 

"TAIL! IT'S GOT MY TAIL! A SPOOKY GHOSTIE'S GOT MY PUFFY PINK TAIL!" The Stand cried,  immediately alerting Pinkie to Suri’s position. Suri wasn’t prepared for such a reaction and desperately shook the tiny pony to calm it down, but to no luck. Her cover had already been blown.

“HEY!” Pinkie yelled. “Who’s that girl hiding behind the talking bush and what is she doing to my Stand!?”

As Pinkie dashed over to Suri, she had no choice but to make a run for it. She tossed Birthday Train aside, throwing it against a tree, stopping Pinkie in her tracks, as a sharp pain suddenly shot through her head. “Ow! Sudden headache...”

Cheese and Suri paid close attention to Pinkie’s head pain. By sheer dumb luck, they managed to stumble upon Birthday Train's weakness, but how? They took a closer look at the Stand and examined its behaviour. It was rubbing it’s head from the bump, in roughly the same place Pinkie was.

“I GOT IT!” Cheese proclaimed. “It all makes sense now!”

“What!? What did you get!?” Suri replied, eager for info.

“It’s so obvious! If Pinkie’s the one whose invincible, then that means what we should be attacking is her Stand, instead!”

“Yes! Of course! Her Stand grants her immortality, but the Stand itself is defenseless. Which means we can easily overpower it. You hear that, Pinkie Pie!? We figured you out! Now, stop with these foolish games and surrender already! Pinkie?”

There was no sign of her. 

“Wha-? Where did she go?”

“Oh!” Cheese responded. “She hightailed it down the street while you were talking to yourself.”

“Why aren’t you chasing after her!?”

"You didn't order me to."

Suri grabbed Cheese by the collar. “Go! After her! NOW!”

“Yes ma’am!” Cheese kicked into high gear, with Suri following behind.

Pinkie managed to get a decent head start, but now she needed somewhere to hide while she thought of a way out of this unfavourable situation.

“Welp, the jig is up, Mini Me. What do we do now?” She asked her Stand, running along side her.

“We should get help from our friends.”

“Good idea... no wait, they’re still waiting for us at the school!”

“Then why are we running away from the school and down the street!?”

“I don’t know, I panicked!”

“Agh! Why didn’t we think this through!?”

“Agh! Why is being a Stand user so hard!?”

Pinkie continued her escape while Suri and Cheese followed close behind, as they tried to come up with a strategy. 

“Okay, I think I’ve figured out a way to beat her Stand.” Suri explained.

“You 'think'?”

“The fact that she hasn't called her Stand back means it must need to be active in order for its powers to work, but if it's running alongside her like that, then it must have a limited range. So, if one of us can pin Pinkie down somewhere, the other can search for her Stand and once we've found it we’ll crush her.”

“Cool, so you pin her down and I’ll go after her Stand.”

“What are you dumb? You’re going after Pinkie. You should have no problem using that gun to keep her busy. My Stand is much better suited for searching.”

“Do I have to?”

“Either that, or you can just snipe her from here.”

“I can’t do that!” Cheese’s Stand suddenly transformed into a flamboyantly coloured sniper rifle in response. “Oh, I guess I can. This thing’s just full of surprises!”

“Well, take the shot.”

The two of them stopped running as Cheese looked down his bright, rainbow scope, setting his sights on Birthday Train.

He hesitated, knowing full well, that any damage the Stand took would injure Pinkie and this time, she wouldn’t be able to just shake it off.

“Will you just shoot her already! My feet hurt from all the running I’ve done today.”

“Okay, okay... boy, how did I get myself into this mess...?”

Cheese prayed that whatever he fired out of his gun was at least non-fatal and fired. The shot was a direct hit at the Stand’s hind leg. The force of the blow knocked the tiny pony to the ground which also knocked Pinkie down, too.

“Yes!” Suri rejoiced. “There’s no way she’s getting up after that!”

Pinkie clasped at her leg from the pain. “Argh! My leg! My precious leg! It’s... it’s... slightly irritated?” She checked her leg more closely, it was sore but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as she thought. With that she immediately stood back up.

“No!” Suri refused. “How is she getting back up!? What did you shoot!?”

Cheese responded with a goofy grin. “Streamers.”

“More streamers!? What could you possibly accomplish with streamers!?”

“Um... make everybody happy?”

Suri screamed incoherently.

Pinkie didn’t understand what all the yelling was about, but brushed it off, finding a hiding spot was more important. 

She did a brief search and came across her workplace, the Sugarcube Cafe. “Alright, I should be safe in there!”

Whilst Suri ranted at Cheese for his incompetence, Cheese caught sight of Pinkie running inside the cafe. 

“Hey! Look at me when I’m yelling at you!” Suri demanded.

“Why did she run inside that cafe?” Cheese asked.

“What?” Suri diverted her attention to the cafe. “She’s probably hiding in-”

Before she even finished her sentence, Cheese had already begun heading toward to the cafe.

“Hey!” Suri called. “What are you doing? I’m not finished with you!”

Cheese stopped, jogging in place. “What? We already have a strategy, right? I’ll go inside and keep her pinned down, while you hunt for her Stand in the surrounding area.”

“O-oh, right. I knew that! You don’t have to explain my own plans to me!”

“Well, off I go then!”

As Cheese waltzed over to the cafe, Suri searched the surrounding area for any signs of Pinkie’s Stand. The cafe was on the corner of the street, so there weren’t any alleys to hide in. Which left very few areas for her to search.

If she couldn’t see it in plain sight, then it must have hidden itself somewhere. There was a manhole cover leading to a sewer, multiple cars and people’s pockets that it could hide in, as well as the roof.

These hiding places would be difficult to search for a normal person, but luckily, Suri’s Stand could fly through these various areas and search them with ease, without Suri ever having to lift a finger. It was only a matter of time before she discovered Birthday Train’s position.

Cheese kicked the door open dramatically, but the customers were too involved in their chat to really pay him any attention. Feeling determined, he quickly got to work. He scanned the shop hoping to catch a glimpse of Pinkie’s whereabouts, but to no luck.

Even so, he made a solemn vow right then and there, that he would not rest, he would not sleep for an instant, until the pink perpetrator was brought to justice, but first he decided to buy some doughnuts. 

So, he walked on up to the blue lady, with the pink swirly hair behind the counter who said: 

“Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you today?”

And Cheese said: “You got any glazed doughnuts?”

And she said: “I’m sorry sir, but we’re fresh out of glazed doughnuts.”

And Cheese said: “Well, you got any jelly doughnuts?”

And she said: “I’m afraid we’re out of jelly doughnuts, too.”

And Cheese said: “You got any bavarian cream-filled doughnuts?”

And she said: “I’m sorry sir, but we’re out of those, too. We’re usually low on supply near closing time, perhaps you’d-”

And Cheese said: “You got any cinnamon rolls?”

And she said: “Um, no, I just told you-”

And Cheese said: “You got any apple fritters?”

And she said: “Sir, are you even listening to me? Can’t you just pick from our-”

And Cheese said: “You got any bear claws?”

And she said: “Wh-what? Why would we have bear claws!? Sir, I’ve been very patient, now will you please order something we actually have or leave.”

“What? No! You’re supposed to go check.”

“Sir, I can assure you, we do not stock bear claws.”

“Aw, forget it, you ruined the whole bit. I’ll just have the cotton candy hiding in the back instead.”

“Cotton candy?” Although she had no reason to believe him at this point, she was still curious as to what Cheese was pointing at. A pink poof was poking out of a storage box in the back room. The lady recognised that poof, anywhere.

“Pinkie! Are you hiding in the storage boxes, again!?” She scolded.

“Ah! We’ve been had!” Pinkie yelled, bouncing out of the box. “Mrs. Cake, how could you rat me out like that?”

“Don’t give me that tone, young lady. I’ve told you time and again, those boxes are for cakes only!”

“Yes, ma’am...”

Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Cheese pulled out NOOTO. All he had to do was keep Pinkie pinned down, until Suri found her Stand, with that in mind, he transformed his pistol into a star spangled tommy gun and opened fire.

Pinkie was given no time to react and took the gunfire head on, forcing her up against the wall. Of course, with her own Stand power, Pinkie wasn’t in any danger of being hurt. 

“Hey, nice shooting!” She praised. “But I’m immune to bullets.”

“I know.” Cheese replied, confidently. “Those weren’t bullets.”

“Whuh?” Pinkie took a closer look at her wounds. Not only did Cheese not fire any bullets, but he didn’t even aim for any of her vital areas, he aimed around her arms and legs. “Hey! These aren’t bullets, these are thumbtacks!”

“Suri told me to keep you pinned down, so I did.” 

Mrs. Cake had no idea what the two of them were doing, she couldn’t see any of the tacks they were talking about, nor the gun Cheese was supposedly holding. “Um, we’re going to be closing up shop soon, could you two play your little game somewhere else?”

“Alright, Mrs. Cake.” Pinkie sighed. “Come on, Mini Me, I could use some help here.” 

Pinkie’s stand emerged from her hair and proceeded to pull the tacks from out of the wall, freeing Pinkie from Cheese’s trap. 

“Ooh.” Cheese exclaimed. “You hid your Stand in your hair? I would have never considered that."

"I keep all sorts of junk in my hair." She explained, shaking out cookies, pencils and books from atop her puffy mane. 

"You’re more clever than I thought.”

“Why, thank you.”

“But, now that I’ve found your Stand, I can finally bring out the big guns!”

Cheese slowly walked backwards toward the shop’s entrance, while the other customers watched in bemusement.

As he reached the entrance, he pulled out his Stand once more. This time however, it took the form of a rocket launcher resting on his shoulder. 

Pinkie was frozen in shock. “Ha... ha... don’t you think that’s a little extreme...”

“Alright party people! Brace yourselves!”

“OH, COME ON!” Suri screamed. “Where is it!?” 

Outside the shop, Suri was still on the hunt for Birthday Train, unaware of it’s whereabouts. “Hunter Soul has looked everywhere! The sewer, the roof, the surrounding buildings! How can it just disappear like that!?” 

Suri’s patience was wearing thin. Nothing had gone right for her all day, she started questioning why she was even doing any of this in the first place. 

Just when she was about to quit, she snapped out of her slump, frightened by a sudden explosion erupting from the cafe. The shock knocked her on her rear. 

There was no smoke or fire, just a terrifyingly powerful shockwave that knocked over the tables, sent pastries flying, shattered all windows in the building and reduced perfectly groomed hairstyles into frizzy messes. 

“Whoo!” Cheese panted. “Now that HAD to have done something!”

“CHEESE!” Suri yelled. 

“Yeah?”

“Don’t 'yeah' me! What did you do!?”

“I found Pinkie’s Stand!”

“And that meant blowing up the entire shop!?”

“Not the entire shop, just most of it.”

“And the people!?”

Cheese checked the unconscious customers lying on the floor to make sure they were, at least, still breathing.

“They’re fine.”

“That was so cool!” Pinkie jumped out from behind the counter, completely unfazed by the explosion. “Ooh, but I don't think Mrs. Cake would appreciate all this damage, if she were still conscious.”

Suri and Cheese stared in astonishment. After taking an explosion like that, Pinkie only showed signs of minor dizziness, which she quickly recovered from.

“Welp, I’m out of ideas.” Cheese resigned.

“But, where did-?” Suri questioned. If Cheese found Pinkie’s Stand, then it must still be in the shop, but Suri couldn’t see it anywhere. 

She looked behind herself to find a small pink pony running across the road toward the park entrance. The sneaky little, phantasmal horse had already begun it’s escape before Cheese even fired his rocket and he didn't even notice. Not wanting to waste anytime, Suri immediately chased after it. 

Having reached the limit of the range it could stay away from Pinkie, Suri used Hunter Soul to fly ahead of the Stand, finally capturing the equine in it's ghoulish clutches.

Pinkie felt a sudden strain on her body and sprung into action to save her Stand, but Cheese blocked the way. 

“We gotcha now!” He declared.

“No! I need to help her! I can’t call her back when she’s stuck like this! You gotta let me past!”

Cheese thought for a moment and stepped aside. “Meh, okay.” 

“Really?” 

“Well, even if I wanted to stop you, I’m too worn out after that last explosion to stop you now. We can't all be bottomless chasms of energy like you.”

“Thank you!” Pinkie hurried to save her Stand. Suri had it dangling by the leg, which Pinkie could feel pinching at her own. 

Suri watched Pinkie as she came closer, waiting for the right moment to strike. As soon as Pinkie was in the middle of the road, Suri squeezed down hard on Birthday Train’s leg. The sudden pain caused Pinkie to fall to her knees in the road.

As Pinkie was about to pick herself up, a speeding car came careening down the road, as the driver suddenly lost control. 

Before she could react, the car crashed straight into her, slamming her back into the ground. The man exited his car in a panic. Cheese was also shocked by the sudden collision. The man had no idea how he lost control of his vehicle, as Hunter Soul emerged from it.

“I-I’m so sorry! I don’t know what happened! I-I’ll call an ambulance right away!” The man apologised, shaken by the accident.

Pinkie jumped back to her feet. “Hey! Watch where you’re driving, mister! You could have hurt somebody!” Pinkie was, of course, perfectly fine, much to the man’s dismay.

“Uh... yeah... you’re not gonna press charges, are you?”

“Press what now?”

“Never mind, I’m just going to leave and pretend this never happened.”

While the man was confused over the situation, Cheese knew exactly what happened. A desperate attempt from Suri to buy a little extra time. 

With Pinkie distracted, now was the perfect time to really do some damage to her Stand and finally defeat her. 

“Put me down, you meanie!” Birthday Train demanded.

“Yeah? Or what?”

The tiny horse, stuck it’s tongue out in protest. 

Angered by it’s childish insult, Suri was about ready to strangle the little monster, when a distant gunshot rang out, causing a pain in Suri’s hand as she dropped the Stand.

“OW! What!? Streamers!?” 

“Leave my little pony alone!” Pinkie tackled Suri to the ground and pinned her down by triumphantly sitting on her.

“Get off me, you idiot!”

“Nope!”

"Hunter Soul!" 

Suri's Stand flew into Pinkie's body, but her will to protect Birthday Train prevented Hunter Soul from controlling her.

"Are you kidding me!?"

With Birthday Train free once more, Suri saw no way out of this situation. Her one chance at defeating Pinkie had slipped from her grasp. She had no allies to fall back on and now she was stuck on the ground with her face in the dirt. Suri had been utterly defeated.

“Alright! Alright... I give up...” Suri pleaded.

“What was that?”

“I said: 'I give up!'. Now get off me, you idiot!”

“Hmm.... okay!”

Suri picked herself up and dusted herself off. 

“So, what are you going to do me?” She asked, bracing herself for a beating.

“I don’t know.” 

Suri wasn't sure how to respond to that, other than with shocked confusion. This would usually be the part where she expected her opponent to unleash a relentless pummeling on her, but Pinkie didn’t seem interested in hurting her at all. 

“Aren’t you going to hit me, or something?”

“Why would I do that? You already said you give up.”

“So, you’re not going to do anything to me?”

“Well... now that you mention it... nope. Thought I had something there, but it’s gone now.”

Suri didn't get it, but if she had an opportunity to escape without taking her lumps, she wasn’t going to waste it, she had other matters she needed to attend to and promptly ran away.

Tired of working with incompetent grunts, losing battles to more powerful Stand users and gradually losing any chance she may have had at creating a group of super powered friends to hang out with, Suri was going to take her anger out on the source of all her problems. The man who brought these powers into her world in the first place.

Cheese caught up with Pinkie, surprised to see her let Suri go without even so much as scolding her. 

“Wow, letting her go, just like that?”

"Yeah, I guess I am.” Pinkie answered. “Stand battles are pretty fun, but I’m not really interested in hurting people, but that's how Stand battles always seem to end up, so I thought, at least this one time, I could let her go.”

“So, you’d rather annoy your enemies into submission, instead?”

“Definitely, that’s way funnier than hurting them. What about you? Why were you fighting with her?”

“Same reason as you, I was having fun!”

The two shared a laugh together, before Cheese had to cut it short.

“Well, I don’t know much about all this Stand business, but it seems you’ve got it under control, so I guess now’s the time for me to take my leave.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yep, the wind’s calling me, it’s saying: 'Cheese, your arc is dragging on too long, you gotta leave the story now.' I appreciate it when the wind gets straight to the point, like that.” 

“Do you think you’ll ever come back?”

“If the wind says so.”

And so, Cheese left the scene, making sure to avoid the cafe, in case anyone recognised him and started asking any awkward questions involving any recent explosions.

Pinkie was left alone to wander through the park. Even though she let Suri go, she wondered if it was the right thing to do, as if there was something else she could have done.

Suri hurried through the forest and into the old abandoned house. This time she wasn't going to get distracted, nor was she interested in asking any questions, she was determined to confront that man and show him who the real boss was. 

She barged into his room, kicking the door wide open, this time she wasn't holding anything back.

“I was monitoring your progress. It seems you failed in your challenge.” The man remained calm in spite of Suri’s aggressive behaviour. 

Suri didn’t care, she set herself a new challenge. Without even thinking, Hunter Soul possessed the man’s chair and pulled it out from underneath him, hoping that the sudden fall would break his smug aura.

While the chair was gone, the man did not fall, or appear to have moved at all. It was as if he was sitting on the very darkness itself. “Suri, was that some sad attempt at provoking me?” 

Suri didn’t let this small upset deter her. “Don’t talk down to me like that! I’ve had with you! That cold attitude, always plotting behind everyone’s back, never speaking to anyone, who do you think you are? What gives you the right to boss me and my friends around!?”

“So, they’re your friends now?” The man laughed.

“Well... sort of, or they might have been if you hadn’t scared them away!”

“And you plan to do something about this?”

“I’m going to prove to you, that human Stands are just as powerful as the ones from wherever you’re from! By defeating you myself!”

“Defeat me? What would that accomplish?”

“I... I... I’ll be the new leader! Everyone will come back and you can crawl back to whatever world you came from!”

The man stood up in protest. “That’s your motivation? You wish to put your life on the line just to bring back your secret little club? Pathetic. Those are the dreams of an entitled, petulant child.”

“What?”

“You view Stand powers as nothing more than a tool, to make yourself feel special, but they are something far greater, than mere children's toys. They are the gateway to immeasurable power, a power beyond mortal understanding, the power to rule unopposed.”

The room gradually grew darker. The light from the monitor, the window and the hallway behind them, grew dimmer, as the man edged closer. Suri stood her ground, she was prepared for a fight, but nothing could prepare her for what the man’s Stand could do.

“I did not wish to use my powers for anything other than intimidation, as using them in a real fight could cause unnecessary complications, but seeing as everything has nearly fallen into place, I can afford to take a small risk with you. After all, you look so tired and worn out, I think it’s time I put you to sleep.”

The darkness in the room expanded, until it was completely devoid of all light, save for the man’s glowing red eyes, piercing through the abyss. Suri was blinded from what was happening. Something clawed at her legs, but she couldn’t see it. Something clutched onto her arms, her Stand tried possessing it, but to no effect. She could feel her consciousness slipping, but didn’t understand why.

Before she even understood what was happening, she had already lost.
> 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."
> Part 13-1: Black Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the pieces were falling into place. Soon, a power far beyond the limitations of normal magic would be within her reach. All she had left was to wait, as her last remaining obstacles dealt with themselves, then she could finally make her move.

The man had finally stepped out of the shadows, no longer watching from the confines of his hideout, hidden away in the depths of the forest. He had travelled between worlds, bringing with him an entirely new type of magic. The creator of the Unicorn Arrow and former ruler of the Crystal Empire. The man the girls had been patiently hunting down, had finally revealed himself.

His name was Sombra.

“Wow!” Pinkie gasped. “I don’t know who that is.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda lost, too.” Applejack added.

“Isn’t that the name of the Crystal Prep coach, or am I thinking of someone else?” Rainbow Dash pondered.

“I’m not surprised you don’t know me.” Sombra replied. “After all, it was your Equestrian counterparts, and that accursed dragon, that I crossed paths with. Regardless, even if you are from different worlds, I can still sense the same power radiating from you.”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Sunset deduced. 

“Indeed. In the past, the power of the Element's were bound by their stones and only the chosen could wield them, but, you girls seem to have inherited that power without the need for those stones, or rather, your Stands have. But, what about you, Sunset? I still don’t understand how you fit into all of this. How did you learn of the Elements of Harmony?”

“You’re not the only who’s crossed between worlds. I studied under Princess Celestia before coming here.”

“A student of Celestia? Well, no wonder you're adapt at using magic.”

“What about you? How did you even get here? And why?”

Sombra grinned, eager to tell the tale of his survival. “After waking from my thousand year slumber, I wasted no time in attempting to reclaim my throne, but in my hubris I was caught off guard. The Crystal Heart was stolen and it overpowered me, blowing my body to pieces.

Thanks to my dark magic, I was slowly able to repair myself, but by the time I had completely revived, my empire was already under new rule. Not wanting to repeat my mistakes, I became a shadow and went into hiding for the time being. As a shadow, I travelled throughout Equestria and on my journeys I learned of Princess Twilight’s exploits and was intrigued enough to visit her kingdom. 

With the Elements of Harmony on her side, attempts at revenge would be futile, but when I snuck into her castle I discovered something far more intriguing, the mirror portal. Without even thinking I examined the portal and unintentionally passed through it, emerging on the other side, in a brand new world.

My body had morphed into something completely alien to me. I could not sense any magic in this new world, but shockingly, despite no longer having any dark magic in my new body, or even a horn, I was still able to manifest my Stand. With that in mind, I remembered the Unicorn Arrow and wondered if it’s powers could be used in this world.

Once I retrieved the arrow, buried in that frozen wasteland, I returned to this new world and set a plan in motion: To use the arrow to grant the beings of this world Stand powers and then monitor their progress, all for the purpose of one day discovering the powers I needed to help reclaim my throne and achieve the goals I intended to fulfil all those centuries ago.

But, it seems fate as favoured me. It didn't take long at all, for one of my henchmen to discover you girls and your magic. With the power of the Elements of Harmony already embedded within you, your Stand powers became far stronger than any of the Stand users I recruited. I couldn't have asked for better luck. Who needs to recruit powerful Stand users when Equestria's greatest power is sitting right here, waiting for me?”

Sunset still had one question on her mind. “What are you planning to do with the Elements of Harmony?”

“Obviously, I’m going to attempt the Ascension Ritual I tried all those years ago. That fool Starlight even created a functioning Ritual Circle for me, as if fate hadn’t been kind enough already. Now, all that’s left to do is defeat the six of you, take your powers for myself and then Equestria will be mine.”

“As if we’d ever let you do that!” Declared Sunset, as she and her friends readied their Stands.

“Why do you care? I have no interest in this world, or the well being of your friends. If you surrender now, I can make this as painless as possible and leave you and this world in peace, I only want Equestria.”

“Because Equestria is still my home!” Sunset answered. “For the friends that you manipulated in this world and for the friends in Equestria that we promised to protect, we'll defeat you, right here!”

“You can’t win.”

“What?”

“Your friend’s powers may be incredible, but that's not enough. They lack experience, they can't measure up to a true Stand user. Besides, nothing can escape from Black Soul’s all consuming darkness.”

Sombra’s words were eerily cold, they weren’t just confident, they were absolute. Even still, Sunset rallied her friends together, no matter what they faced she was confident that their abilities could overcome anything. 

“Even after my warning you still wish to fight? Very well then, but I must warn you, from this point forth, you’re fighting in my world.” 

The space around the girls was suddenly enveloped in darkness, as Sombra and his Stand disappeared into the abyss. The darkness drowned out all noise from the outside world, replacing it with dead silence. The girls couldn’t even tell if Sombra was moving or not, as the darkness surrounded them like a thick, black fog. 

The girls stuck close together so they wouldn’t lose each other. Fluttershy threw up a barrier around them to keep them safe. They used this time to come up with a strategy to fight Sombra.

“Well, I'm stumped already. You got any ideas, Sunset?” Dash asked.

“I don’t know...” Sunset answered. “It's totally empty out there. No light, no sound, nothing. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. How do you fight someone if you can’t even see or hear them?”

“Oh, gimme a break!” Applejack chided. “This is just like his eye thingy. It’s just a trick to intimidate us, make us think he’s stronger than he actually is!”

“We don’t know that for certain, Applejack.” Rarity replied. “He could still be planning something. We must remain cautious.”

“Well, I’m not afraid of no black smoke!” Pinkie yelled. “I say we march right out there and start flailing wildly until we hit something!”

“I like the flailing idea!” Dash added.

“Of course you would.” Applejack retorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Nothing, I just thought you’d might use your head for once.”

“Don’t be stupid, Applejack. You can’t just go around headbutting the air, you’d mess your neck up.”

“I believe she was speaking metaphorically, darling.” Rarity informed. “She means you should think before you act.”

“What good will thinking do!? He’s out there waiting for us to make a move, so I say we hit him with the best moves we got!”

Applejack responded, once again. “That’s just what he wants us to do! You don’t know what his Stand his capable of, anything could happen out there!”

“Are we seriously having this conversation again!”

“Yeah, we are! And we’ll have it a hundred times until you start listening to me!”

“GIRLS! PLEASE!” Sunset cried out. “How are we supposed to fight this guy if we’re too busy fighting each other!?”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash meekly apologised as Sunset let out an exasperated sigh. “Fluttershy, what are your thoughts?”

“Oh! W-well, I thought maybe we could ask Pinkie.”

“Pinkie?”

“Well, I mean, it’s just... Pinkie’s Stand makes her invulnerable, right? So, what if we sent Pinkie out there to fight Sombra and then we can see what kind of powers he has. I don’t want to see Pinkie get hurt, but if her Stand is protecting her then I think she’ll be okay... right?”

The girls turned to Pinkie who gave a salute, like a soldier ready to brave the terrors of no-man’s land. Fluttershy dropped her shield to allow Pinkie to leave and then reset it. 

“Watch out for Mini me, okay?” Pinkie smiled, while Fluttershy held Birthday Train close. “As long as she’s in there, I should be just fine.”

“Good luck.” Waved Fluttershy.

“Make sure you taunt him into using his best moves for us.” Dash added.

With a wave goodbye, Pinkie skipped into the darkness. Within mere seconds the thick fog encompassed her entire view, not a sound nor sight could be seen or heard from any direction. It was complete silence. 

Pinkie needed to draw Sombra out. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, a fist flew out of the fog and sucker punched her in the stomach. The impact was powerful, as the rest of Sombra’s cloaked body emerged from the void.

“Hey!” Pinkie yelled, still standing. “No fair! I wasn’t ready!”

Sombra ignored her whining and proceeded to pummel her face with slow, powerful jabs. As expected, Pinkie absorbed every blow, with each punch contorting her face into a new goofy expression. She tried her best to anger her adversary, but the man remained focused on punching her, showing no reaction. 

As Sombra pushed Pinkie back with his fists, the two of them came into the girl’s view. They were relieved to see that Pinkie was taking her beatings like a champ. Although, Sunset had other concerns. Sombra didn’t seem to be trying very hard, clearly aware of Pinkie’s invulnerability. He dealt one final blow that knocked Pinkie’s head back, only for it to snap back into place like a rubber band.

“What’s wrong?” Pinkie giggled. “I guess you’re not so mean and tough after all.”

Sombra simply analysed his current situation, paying no mind to Pinkie’s antics. “It seems your Stand really does make you immortal, that means your weakness must be the Stand itself, which explains why you've kept it protected inside that barrier. How surprisingly clever.”

“Why, thank you.”

“Unfortunately, nothing can protect you from Black Soul.” 

Sombra reached his hand out, grabbing Pinkie by the face and lifting her off her feet. 

“Um, this is a little awkward. Could you let me go?”

The darkness around Sombra’s hand grew more intense, as well as his grip.

“Go to sleep.”

The world around Pinkie quickly sank into darkness. Sombra, her friends, even her own senses quickly wained, as her consciousness was consumed, leaving Pinkie all alone in a black void. She tried calling out, but there was no sound, she tried to move, but she didn’t go anywhere. There was no smell, no vision, nothing, she was left wandering an endless space, completely alone. 

However, in the outside world, Sombra dropped Pinkie’s soulless body to the ground, leaving her in the same state they found Suri, completely lifeless. 

The girls were left horrified and confused, their minds couldn’t grasp what just happened. A power not even Pinkie’s immortality could withstand? Even Birthday Train became lifeless in Fluttershy’s arms before disappearing. 

"P-Pinkie Pie... lost?" Rainbow Dash muttered. 

"I've never seen a Stand just disappear like that..." Sunset added.

“Fluttershy.” Applejack spoke. “Lower the barrier.”

“But, I-I don’t think-”

“Lower it now!”

Sunset grabbed Applejack’s arm. “Wait! Don’t be reckless! What were you just saying to Rainbow Dash earlier?”

“Well, waiting around hasn’t done us any good! I didn’t come all this way just to sit in some bubble!”

“But, what are you going to do!?”

“Break him, that’s what!”

Applejack marched toward Sombra, who seemed confident after defeating their immortal friend.

"Oh? You're approaching me?" Sombra taunted.

"I can't whoop your behind if don't get closer!"

"Then, by all means, come as close as you'd like."

After staring each other down for a brief moment, Applejack’s Stand burst forth and swiftly delivered a powerful kick, aimed at Sombra’s right side. He quickly reacted to the Stand’s sudden movement and caught the leg with his right hand. Although he had a tight grip on the Stand's leg he could still feel it’s raw strength rippling through his arm, briefly paralysing him and preventing a counterattack. 

“Gimme a Break...” Sombra muttered, holding Applejack’s Stand back. 

“That last thing I want to hear from you is some attitude.”

“...a Stand that excels in physical strength.”

“Oh, you were talking about my Stand...”

“Unfortunately, once you overcome that strength, there’s not much else it can really do, can it?” 

“All it needs to do, is knock you senseless!”

Applejack attempted another kick using her free, left leg, but was caught, once again, this time by Sombra’s left hand. Now, he could keep the Stand held in front of him. 

“You were a fool to think you could best me, in a battle of strength.” He ridiculed, lifting Applejack’s Stand into the air, by its legs, before slamming it into the ground, sending a shock wave of pain through Applejack's back. 

She fell to her knees, having lost the energy to stand from the sudden back strain. She was astounded not only by the man’s power, but also from how he was able to catch her Stand with his bare hands, as were the rest of the girls.

“No way!” Dash chastised. “I thought Stands could only fight other Stands! How is he doing that!?”

“Because, it is his Stand.” Sunset answered. “He did the same thing to me, it must be Black Soul. It surrounds his body like armour, allowing him to fight Stands using his own strength. No, enhancing it even, but that can’t be all. There has to be more to it, something even Pinkie couldn't defend herself against, but what?”

Sunset looked over at Pinkie, still looking empty. If Pinkie was immune to physical damage, then Black Soul must have some other way of attacking its opponents, something that didn’t require physical harm.

Sombra reached for Applejack, with his hand coated in darkness, as she was recoiling in pain. 

Sunset instinctively yelled. “We need to get Applejack away from him, now!” 

“Way ahead of you!” Dash had already sent Ride on Time flying toward Sombra. The Stand flew past, slashing at his eye, forcing Sombra away from her incapacitated friend. 

As her Stand flew back for another swipe, Sunset noticed the wound it left only tore a part of Black Soul. Underneath, Sombra was unharmed. Before she could say anything, it was already too late. The Stand aimed for Sombra’s face once again, but the moment it was within range, he held his open palm out, letting it fly right into his clutches.

Dash felt frozen as Sombra held her Stand tightly in his grasp. As his grip on the winged beast tightened so too did the force paralysing her, until the mere act of breathing became difficult, like Dash's whole body was being strangled. 

“Sunset! Give me your jacket!” Rarity demanded.

“What? Why?” 

“I need something to fight with!” 

Sunset passed her jacket over to Rarity. With Lady Fascination’s powers she transformed it into a spear and flung it toward Sombra, hoping it would free Rainbow Dash, but he caught it with his free hand.

“Oh, come on! His reflexes can’t possibly be that fast!?” Rarity complained.

“Lady Fascination.” Sombra spoke. “Its power transforms objects into whatever the user desires, but if there are no objects for it to manipulate it becomes powerless. I guess it wouldn’t be a fair fight unless I returned this.” 

Sombra reared his free arm and tossed the spear back to Rarity. She braced herself, but the spear never reached her, as Freesia's barrier had already protected her. 

“Oh, thank goodness, Fluttershy... Fluttershy?” Rarity looked around, having missed Fluttershy, already advancing toward Sombra.

“This stops, now!” She asserted.

With Freesia ready for battle, she dashed over to Sombra, who was ready for her. Freesia threw a right hook, Sombra caught it, however the impact of Freesia’s fist was far greater than he anticipated. It wasn’t enough to knock him down, but it kept him stunned long enough to leave him open to Freesia’s left fist, aimed at his gut.

That single gut punch was enough to force Sombra into freeing Dash’s Stand. Even with Black Soul protecting him, he could still feel the force of Freesia’s strength pulsate throughout his body, but it wasn’t over yet. Without even realising, Freesia’s punch had launched Sombra off his feet leaving him in the perfect position for a follow up. 

He concentrated all of Black Soul’s armour to his front for maximum protection, as Freesia unleashed a barrage of fists all over Sombra’s body. Even with his Stand shielding him, he could just barely hang on, with the last punch landing with enough force to send Sombra hurling into the darkness. 

Sombra flew quite a distance before landing flat on his back. In all his years of experience as a Stand user, this was the first time he had truly been bested in a physical confrontation. His body was still quivering from the onslaught. If he hadn’t maximised his Stand’s defences to his front, he would have lost, right there. 

“Freesia...” He thought, as he rose to his feet. “I knew it could generate barriers, but its physical strength is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I need to remove it, immediately.”

After taking a moment to recover, he was ready for round two, but not before releasing Black Soul. It sunk into the ground, in an effort to infiltrate Freesia's barrier. 

The girls gathered around Fluttershy who was worn out from her massive assault against Sombra. 

“I’m so sorry...” She gasped. “I don’t know what came over me... I-I just got so mad. Nothing we did was working... and I was just standing there... I-I had to do something before something awful happened...”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy.” Rarity assured.

“Yeah, you should have seen the look on his face when you were about to lay the smack down on him!” Dash raved.

“Uh, girls.” Applejack alerted. “We’re not done yet.”

Sombra emerged from the darkness once again. He didn’t seem to retain any damage from Fluttershy’s impressive attack. His Stand most likely protected him, or at least, that’s what Sunset surmised, but it seemed his Stand wasn't active, as his body was no longer covered in shadows. 

Before he could make a move, Fluttershy preemptively through up a barrier to protect her friends. 

“Stay back!” She demanded. “I won’t let you hurt them!”

“Fluttershy, wait!” Sunset asked. “His Stand isn’t active, this is the best time to attack!”

“No! I don’t trust him! He’s just trying to lure us into a trap!”

Sombra looked unimpressed. “So, we’re back to this stalemate again... and after you displayed such amazing feats of strength, too. What a waste.”

“Say whatever you want, but I’m not letting you in.”

Growing bored of their uneventful stand-off, Sombra casually wailed on the barrier with his bare fists. Even though each hit rang inside Fluttershy’s head, she remained steadfast. 

“I’m not bringing this barrier down. Not until my friends have recovered.”

“So, you’re just buying time, then? I’m afraid time isn’t a luxury you can afford.”

Suddenly, from the darkness beneath them, a shadow erupted from the ground. Taking on a human-like form, it jutted from the black, like a tendril, leaning straight into Fluttershy’s face. 

The sudden shock petrified Fluttershy as the shadow manifested an arm that latched onto her face.

“Go to sleep.”

Acting fast, the girls tried to defend their friend from the shadow, but with no success. Attacking the Stand did nothing, it had no corporeal form. 

Sunset quickly realised the only part of the Stand that was solid was the hand that grabbed Fluttershy, but by the time Sky batted the hand aside, it was already too late. 

“NO!” Sunset yelled, as a lifeless Fluttershy collapsed onto her, while Black Soul returned to its user. Freesia’s barrier vanished. “I had no idea he could plant his Stand in the ground...”

“Of course, I can.” Sombra replied. “You're fighting in my world. My Black Soul had already hidden itself in the floor beneath you before I even arrived.”

The girls suffered another devastating blow. Not even Fluttershy’s impenetrable barrier could protect them from Sombra’s power. They were tired and weakened, as their two most reliable Stand users had been picked off and their strongest offensive powers weren’t enough to overpower Sombra.

“As I said before, You can’t win.” Sombra expressed coldly. “This realm of darkness is my world, a world without light, without hope. The only way to escape this nightmare is to go to sleep, like your friends.” 

“No...” Sunset muttered, she laid Fluttershy down and faced Sombra. “There’s still another way.”

“Oh, really?”

“And it's the same way you get rid of any Stand power. Defeat the user.”

“Do you truly believe you can pull off such an arduous task?”

“Of course! I don’t care if this is 'Your world'. Every Stand has a weakness and that includes yours! I don’t know how, but as long as we can keep fighting, I know we can find a way!”

“Stupid child. I'll say it one final time. 

You. Can’t. Win. 

This is my realm of darkness and those foolish enough to enter it will be at my mercy.” 

Sombra aggressively stood his ground. He was indignant in his belief that Black Soul far outclassed the girl’s Stands. 

“I swear we’ll find a way!” Sunset was just as indignant in her beliefs, even if she knew deep down that she had no idea on how to stop him.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were already down, victims of Black Soul’s mysterious power. Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the other hand received a taste of Sombra’s physical might, as he made quick work of their Stands. Even Rarity’s powers were severely limited in Sombra’s dark realm. 

“Rainbow Dash, give me your jacket.” Rarity requested.

“What? Why?”

“I need the materials to create a new weapon.” 

“Just use your spear!”

“I can’t find it in all this darkness!”

“But... fine, just make sure you give it back.”

Utilising this new jacket, Rarity constructed a rapier sword. “This should help tear off that black armour of his.”

Rarity turned to her friends. “Alright, ladies, listen up. Applejack and I will rush him down. Really get in his face. Rainbow Dash and Sunset, you stay back and use your ranged Stands to back us up. I don’t care how strong he thinks he is, he can’t keep up with all four of us at once.”

“Charge in and kick him real good, sounds like a plan!” Applejack agreed.

Intending to overwhelm Sombra in a two-on-one confrontation, Applejack and Rarity charged toward the king with all their might, but Sombra was prepared. As soon as she was about to close the gap, a black wall protruded from the ground in front of Applejack.

Sombra’s Stand had taken on a defensive form, blocking her path. She attempted to dodge around it, but it tracked her every move. She attempted to knock it down, but even against her Stand’s powerful kicks, the wall stood firm.

While Applejack was distracted by the wall, Rarity charged forth, sword at the ready. She threw all her momentum into one big swing across his chest, but Sombra, hands casually tucked into his pockets, simply waited until the last moment to jump back from the slash.

His nonchalant demeanour mocked Rarity, but she wasn’t going to let such uncouth behaviour deter her. Keeping her distance, she switched strategies and started poking at Sombra, but her stabs were slow and easy to avoid. 

“Just because your Stand can create weapons, doesn’t mean you actually know how to use them.” He ridiculed.

“Keep quiet, I just need to focus.”

With Rarity clearly having issues, Dash and Sunset took action, as their Stands flew into the fray. They dove for Sombra’s face, but he narrowly avoided Ride by leaping back a large distance. Sky charged in next, but he simply batted the week Stand aside with his fist, knocking Sunset down along with it. 

"Pathetic, Sunset. Stay down, your Stand isn't built for combat." However, even with his confidence, he still had Rarity and Rainbow Dash to contend with, Sombra was forced to get serious.

He immediately devised a devilish ploy. He called back Black Soul and quickly reattached it, covering his body in shadow once more. As soon as Ride on Time dashed toward him, he caught it once again, but this time, he held it hostage, against his chest.

“What are you doing with her, you fiend!?” Rarity ordered.

“Are you focused now? I hope so. Don’t want to accidentally stab your friend with that toothpick of yours, do you?”

Rarity was stuck, she wasn’t as confident in her swordplay as she thought she’d be and Sombra certainly wouldn’t hesitate to use Dash’s Stand as a shield. 

Just then, Sky rushed back in to attack Sombra, decking him in the face, but to no effect. However, as Sombra threw the weak Stand away, again, he was left open to another surprise attack.

“Make way!” With her roadblock gone, Applejack dashed at Sombra's side, once in range, her Stand delivered a savage blow to his head. Even with Black Soul’s armour, the attack knocked Sombra down freeing Dash’s Stand.

Sunset and Dash breathed a sigh of relief. Sombra picked himself up, but this time there was no pause, as soon as he was upright, Rarity charged him. Though still slightly dazed from Applejack’s attack, he still managed to dodge Rarity’s sloppy sword swipes.

She swung her sword upwards only for it to slip through her fingertips and fly above her. This was Sombra’s chance, with an opening like that he could land a swift and decisive counterattack.

As Sombra clasped his fist and rushed in, a sword swipe came from above and brushed across his cheek. The sudden strike forced him to instinctively leap back to prevent any further followup attacks. The slash cut straight through Black Soul’s protection, leaving a scratch on his cheek. His Stand repaired itself, but the damage had been done.

Sombra examined his opponent, Rarity wasn’t the one who attacked him, it was Sunset's Stand, Sky Should Be High. Rarity hadn't made a mistake, she threw her sword on purpose.

"What!?" Sombra cried. 

"Rarity may not have good swordsmanship, but I do." Sunset boasted, as her Stand flew in, swiping away at Sombra. Her Stand may not have the strength to brute force her way through Black Soul's protection, but with sword in hand it didn't need to, as it gradually tore away at the dark Stand's protection.

With Sunset's Stand proving to be a competent swordsman, Sombra couldn't afford to be patient any more. His Stand detached and morphed into a wall, to cover Sombra's tracks, as she escaped into the darkness. 

"What!? Where did he go!?" Sunset cried. 

His presence cloaked by the abyss, the girls had no idea where he disappeared to, until he suddenly emerged from the shadows, his Stand reattached, blindsiding Sky with a sudden charging punch, that sent both the Stand and its user flying.

"That cheating devil!" Rarity yelled. "His black armour muffled the sound of his footsteps!" 

As Sky was knocked down, the sword it wielded flew in Rarity's direction. Lady Fascination caught the weapon, as Rarity chased Sombra down, continuing her attack, but this time was different, Sombra was done waiting and lunged straight at her.

With her Stand flying above, Rarity had left herself wide open. She didn’t know how to react, as Sombra’s sudden offensive manoeuvre threw her off guard and within a second, he had closed the gap between them, dove underneath her Stand and fired an explosive punch to her gut. The sound of the blow echoed throughout the dark realm, as her friends watched in awe at Sombra’s destructive force.

Rarity was forced into the air, but Sombra wasn’t finished, to seal his victory, he threw one more crushing blow to her face, sending her flying through the void, rag-dolling across the darkness.

A feeling of dread fell over Sunset and the girls, as Sombra laughed in loud alleviation. 

“Now that was satisfying. A fight is so much more enjoyable when you hold back until just the right moment. Although, I must admit, I may have overestimated your abilities. Your Stands may be powerful, but in the end, you are still just weak children. Your youthful vigour can only carry you so far, when faced with an opponent as experienced as me.”

“Have you been holding back this whole time?” Sunset asked, visibly shaken.

“What? Feeling disheartened? Has all your talk about finding my weakness and defeating me, amounted to nothing? Well, to not crush your precious ego any further, let’s just say I’ve been very passive up to this point, but no more. 

The Stand users you battled before fought for petty reasons. They misused their powers and squandered their potential, but not me. I fight with conviction, with resolve! I'm not fighting for revenge, but to become the strongest! To obtain the ultimate power! Now, brace yourself children, this is the power of a real Stand user!"
> Part 13-2: Black Soul
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s it!” Dash yelled. “I’m getting sick of this guy! Sunset, please tell me you've figured something out by now!”

“I’m sorry..." She muttered in fear, struggling to stand. “I thought if we all worked together, we could wear him down, but with only three of us left, I just don’t know...”

“Well, then...” Applejack responded. “I guess we’ll just have to rely on good old fashioned brute force.”

“But, we tried that already, we can’t beat him with power alone. Black Soul allows Sombra to attack and defend at the same time. He’s the one brute forcing his way through us.”

“We don’t have much of a choice, there just has to be a way to break through that armour of his.”

“But...” Sunset stopped herself, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had already made up their minds. There was no point in reasoning with them, this was the only way they knew how to fight. 

“How do they do it?” Sunset thought. “They know they’re outmatched, that they can’t win, but they're throwing everything they have at him... and all I can do is watch, because I'm too weak...”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash went on the offensive, but even with their relentless assault, Black Soul shielded Sombra from all damage, but they pushed on, anyway. Their ferocious attacks kept Sombra on the defensive, as long as they kept piling on the pressure, Sombra was forced to block their every move. It was only a matter of time before he eventually dropped his guard.

Not wanting to fall victim to such a mindless strategy, Sombra slipped out of his dark shell leaving it behind as a decoy. He then side-stepped beside Rainbow Dash and belted her in the face. His power sent Dash flying into Applejack causing them both to tumble over.

“Dash! You okay!?” Applejack asked, helping her up.

“NO! That jerk just slugged me!”

“You girls certainly are tenacious, aren’t you?.” Sombra praised as his Stand armor returned. “But, surely, the fatigue must be setting in by now?”

“Never!” 

The girls charged Sombra once again, in a blind, desperate fury. Of course, Sombra took advantage of this. With their attacks so unfocused and desperate, countering them was child's play. He grabbed Gimme a Break by the leg, captured Ride on Time and using his pure, physical might he slammed the two Stands into one another. The effects of the impact rippled through the girl’s bodies, knocking them senseless.

With the girls dazed and confused, Sombra was presented with the perfect opportunity to finish them. Not wanting to feel useless, Sunset’s Stand flew in to defend her friends. Sky rammed into Sombra's gut, but thanks to Black Soul's armour, he didn't even feel it. He punted the Stand away, like a football, knocking Sunset to the ground.

She could only watch helplessly, as Sombra lifted her friends up by their face with his blackened hands. “Good effort girls, now go to sleep.”

With one final pulse of dark magic, he dropped the unconscious girls to the floor, leaving Sunset as the last remaining road block between him and the ultimate Stand power.

Although Sunset had the strength to pick herself up, she couldn’t stop shaking. The magic of friendship had always found a way to save her and her friends before, but this time, there was no magic to save her. Sombra’s strength and mastery over his Stand far exceeded anything she could have prepared for. 

She was overwhelmed with fear and shame, her failure to protect her friends was far more crushing than anything Sombra could do to her. She could only stand, frozen in fear as Sombra slowly strolled over to her.

He didn’t say a word, he just smiled smugly, already well aware Sunset stood no chance against him. In a fit of desperation, Sky lashed out again, but he easily held the Stand back with the palm of his hand. “That's enough, Sunset. At this point, you’re just wasting my time.”

“You were this powerful all along... so why? Why did you hold back?”

“Partly for my own amusement, but also out of curiosity. I wanted to examine the depths of your powers for myself. Besides, in order to achieve my goals, I couldn't use my full strength right away. I need you girls alive.” 

Sunset was distraught over the suffering she had inadvertently brought upon her friends. She had no idea how far out of her depth she truly was. 

“Still, I’m slightly disappointed in your performance." Sombra continued. "I was hoping to draw out the power of the Elements I sensed within you, but it seems that power was just a mere spark in comparison to your friends. No, more like table scraps. Oh well, I suppose if your power doesn’t suffice I could always use you as bait to lure out Princess Twilight instead.”

Princess Twilight, hearing her name reminded Sunset of Sombra’s true goal. If he wasn't stopped now, Equestria will have a super-powered tyrant knocking on their door, which only deepened her sadness.

“Now, hold still. This will only take a moment.” Sunset closed her eyes, as Sombra reached out his blackened hand, to put her to sleep, but his hand never reached her. There was a sudden loud stab. Sunset opened her eyes to find a rapier wedged into Sombra’s arm. As he clasped at the weapon, Sunset spotted Rarity limping out of the darkness.

“That’s... what you get... for HITTING A LADY!” Rarity’s Stand retrieved the sword, leaving Sombra’s arm a bloodied mess.

Black Soul quickly covered his body to prevent any further damage or bleeding as Sombra turned his attention to Rarity, who was ready to throw her sword once again. Although, she clearly hadn’t fully recovered from her wounds, her face still swollen from her earlier battle.

As Sombra drew close, Lady Fascination attempted to intercept him with the sword, but he smacked it away. It was obvious to both Sunset and Sombra that Rarity and her Stand didn’t have the energy left to properly defend themselves. 

“No! Get away from her!” Sunset screamed as Sky frantically attacked Sombra, but with his armour, he barely even felt it. Rarity kicked and punched and flailed wildly, but Sombra lifted her up effortlessly and this time, made sure she was put to sleep.

“Well, that was a surprise, but with that, the last of your friends have fallen.” 

Suddenly, a massive swipe across Sombra's chest, ripped Black Soul like it were made from fabric. 

"What!? My armour, was torn!?" 

He couldn't believe it, something shredded through his Stand's impenetrable defences and that something was Sky Should Be High, wielding the sword Rarity had left behind. 

"I guess your Stand isn't as invincible as you think." Sunset explained. "Black Soul might be able to absorb a ton of physical damage, but it seems to have trouble with keeping up with the sharp precision of a blade. With a weakness like that, even Sky can rip you apart."

Sky continued swiping at Sombra. His Stand's armour was still incredibly tough, but with enough slashes, it started to tear and he was helpless to stop it, she was swiping too fast for him to catch. If Sunset could keep this up, if she could keep him pinned down long enough to tear off his Stand and attack Sombra directly, she could win.

Of course, Sombra would never allow something like that to happen. He detached his Stand, as it sunk into the ground and leapt back to avoid any further sword swings.

"There's nowhere to run, Sombra!" Sunset asserted. "You created this inescapable world of darkness, now-!" Her chastising was suddenly cut off, as an unbearable pain in Sunset's gut knocked the wind out of her.

Just as Sky was about to give chase, Black Soul, rose out of the ground, and uppercutted the Stand straight in the gut. Sunset had gotten so caught up in exploiting Sombra's weakness, she unwittingly ran right into another one of his traps.

She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. Sunset had already shaken off enough punishment during their fight, but with that one, decisive strike, her body finally gave out on her. She couldn't recover, she couldn't even spare the energy to keep her Stand active.

Sombra detached his Stand, his arm had stopped bleeding and Black Soul was free to put Sunset to sleep with no further effort on his part. 

"You were right. This is my world. And so long as you're in it. You can't win."

Her last ray of hope flickered out, her will crushed by Sombra’s might as she could do nothing, but wait for Black Soul to finish her. As it lifted Sunset into the air with its inky palm, her vision became clouded by darkness, until nothing was left and she fell into a deep sleep.

She drifted through into the abyss, as her mind went blank, slowly forgetting all her worries until eventually, she woke up, sitting at her desk in class, as if nothing had happened. The room was eerily quiet and completely empty. Her memories were barren and she felt light headed. She must have drifted off to sleep in the middle of a lecture. 

With nothing on her mind, acting purely on instinct, she looked out the window, mildly concerned by the black void that seemed to have surrounded the school and consumed the entire city. Guess she wasn’t going home just yet. She decided to leave the room to see if she could find somebody, but the door was locked, then the handle fell off and then the door disappeared, leaving an impassable wall. It was at this point Sunset started to suspect something was amiss.

She turned back around only to find the room had gotten darker and that someone was sitting at her desk. 

“Excuse me?” Sunset asked the mystery person. “That’s my seat.”

“No, this is my seat.” The mystery person replied.

The mystery person looked familiar with her leather jacket and her red and yellow hair. The crimson skin, fangs and black eyes however, weren't so familiar.

“But, I thought this was my seat.”

“It is your seat.”

“What?" Sunset laughed. "You’re not me.”

“Yes I am.” The little devil conjured a mirror for Sunset to look into. The reflection she saw was the same as the devil sitting in front of her.

“Wait. This isn't me.” Sunset responded, staring into her reflection.

“But it is you. It’s always been you, no matter how hard you try to hide it.”

“This is who I really am?”

“Yes.” 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"YES!"

"Really?"

The devil rose from it’s seat, wrapping it’s arm around Sunset. “Okay, you're clearly a little dazed and not all there at the moment, so let me spell it out for you. See, every time you try to push me away, you’re really just pushing yourself away and that’s not helping either of us, you know?”

"Either of us? But, I thought you were me?"

"Now, you're getting it." 

Sunset was still confused and the haziness of her mind wasn't helping, but in the midst of her subconscious, Sunset did always feel like she was pushing something back, something she was afraid of. Although, even with a murky mind, she wasn’t sure if she could trust her other self or her devilish smirk.

“Haven't you been feeling weak lately? Low on confidence? If you accept me again I can fix all of those troubles for you. I can make you powerful.” The devil reasoned.

“Accept you... yeah. If you really are me, then I can’t keep pretending you're not and hope you’ll just go away, I have to accept you.”

Sunset and the devil’s hands touched as a black flames erupted from their hands joining together. Sunset felt a dark power consuming her. 

"What's happening? What are you doing!?" She cried.

"I'm giving you the power you've been neglecting. That's what you wanted, right? The power to defeat your enemies? The power to beat Sombra? The true power of your demon Stand!"

"My Stand's true power?"

"Yes! The demon inside you. You can't run from it forever! Accept it!"

Just when Sunset was about to be taken over, there was a spark. A sudden reminder of what she was really fighting for.

"All right. I'll accept you."

The demon smiled, pushing its hand further into Sunset, but soon, the black flames quickly turned into a shining light.

“What the!?” The devil cried, trying to pull it’s hand out of the light only for the light to slowly absorb it. “What did you do!?”

“I accepted you.”

“But, why am I losing control!?”

The more the devil was absorbed by the light, the more Sunset’s memories began to return to her, as she slowly woke up from her daze.

“I understand now!”

“Now's not the time for an epiphany!”

“Whenever I was alone, I always felt worthless, because I was afraid that if I did do anything, I’d turn into you again. I was too afraid to figure out what my Stand could really do. But, thanks to you, I've remembered what I was fighting for. The friends who accepted me for who I was, who helped make me a better person. I don't want the strength to defeat Sombra, I want the strength to protect my friends!”

“So what? You can’t push me away forever. I’m a part of you, Sunset. You need me!”

“You’re right, I do need you. That’s why you became my Stand, but by I rejected you, like I was rejecting myself... ”

“That’s all very introspective of you, but that doesn’t explain why I’m losing control!”

“Because I’m not afraid of you, or myself anymore. I don't need to become a demon to get my confidence back, I just need to believe in my friends!”

“What are you talking about!?”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is: I accept you as a part of me, as a part of my past, but I won't let you control me any more! I'm not afraid of my own power! My past is not today!”

With her final declaration, the light absorbed the rest of the demon. Sunset checked over her body, as she looked in the mirror. She was normal again, better than normal in fact. She felt as if a massive weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

Sunset's demons were settled, her mind was clear and her memories returned, now there was just one last issue to deal with. "Where am I? And how do I get out of here?" 

She suddenly gasped. “That’s what he meant! 'Go to sleep'. That wasn’t just a cool catchphrase, he meant it literally! Black Soul puts its enemies to sleep! That’s what Lightning Dust and her friends were talking about when they said Sombra’s powers were like a nightmare! He trapped them in darkness and then put them to sleep! They weren’t scared of Sombra, just the nightmares his Stand trapped them in! It all makes sense now!”

It was all coming back to her, being trapped in her own dream switched her mind into auto-pilot, but Sunset was back in control. “I can feel it, even in a dream, that light wasn’t just from me, it was my friends too, the Elements of Harmony. That spark he sensed in me is about to ignite into a blazing inferno!”

“This doesn’t feel right...” Sombra thought to himself. “I’ve incapacitated all of them with my Stand power and yet, I can still feel their magic...” 

Sombra had never felt so anxious before. The Elements of Harmony weren’t considered the strongest force in Equestria for nothing. The fact that they were still active even with their users unconscious could only spell trouble. 

But, there was one power that was truly concerning, the power inside Sunset Shimmer was growing, transforming. “Why is her power changing? Sunset isn’t the true wielder of the Element of Magic, but this doesn’t even feel like the Element of Magic any more. What is happening?”

He felt a great force of magic, building up inside Sunset, the Elements of Harmony were definitely reacting to the power inside her, conversely the only thing building inside Sombra was anxiety. “I don’t understand. I’ve already won, so why? Why do I have this horrible feeling of dread? Just what is this girl?”

Witnessing the rise of this new power, Sombra acted quickly. After coming so far, he wasn’t going to let some unexplainable magic ruin everything. In fear of letting all of his efforts go to waste, Sombra lifted Sunset by the head, morphed Black Soul into a shadowy, black blade and stabbed her straight through the gut.

“I would have preferred to use you as bait, but I can’t have you wielding some miraculous new power at the last minute. I’ll extinguish that light, right here and that will be the end of it.”

Sombra was relieved for a moment, until he noticed there was no blood from her wound, that Sunset's power hadn't subsided and that she was slowly starting to move. 

“No! How is she waking up!?” Sombra cried. 

“My friends...” Sunset muttered.

“What!? What have you done!?”

“I can feel their power... Sky... my Stand... it can feel their magic.”

Sunset pulled herself off of Black Soul’s blade and was back on her feet, her wound healed immediately. Although she still seemed a little dazed, a golden aura surrounded her, as her mind finally snapped back into reality.

“What did you do!?” Sombra’s impatience exploded, his handle on the situation quickly slipping away. “That power! That’s not the Element of Magic, I don’t know what that is! What is it!?”

“It’s my Stand.”

“But, you’re Stand was that demon, where is it? Where is your Stand!?”

“My Stand has become a part of me and it’s all thanks to you.”

“Me? What are you talking about!? I demand an explanation!”

“The nightmare you trapped me in, gave me the opportunity to confront and accept the demon inside me. Black Soul’s greatest strength, is also its greatest weakness! The nightmares you create are just like Naked Eye’s illusions, they’re not real and once you overcome those illusions, those nightmares can never haunt you again!”

Sombra tensed up, Sunset's new magic was a total mystery to him, he was too blinded by her light to fully comprehend the scope of her newfound power.

“Now, time for round two!”

Sharp wings suddenly sprouted from Sunset’s back. She flew at top speed toward Sombra, who was too stunned to react to her attack, as she landed a clean hit to his face. However, this was no ordinary punch, it took a moment to fully sink in, but being sent flying across the darkness was enough of a hint that Sunset’s strength far exceeded her natural abilities.

Even with Black Soul’s armour, Sombra’s face still burned from the impact. Sunset flew in again, but this time Sombra anticipated her attack, and grabbed her arms, pushing her back. This only presented Sunset with the opportunity to flip kick Sombra right in his jaw. The kick was powerful enough to rock Sombra’s world, nearly knocking him senseless as it freed her from his grasp.

Sunset toppled back slightly, even with her power, crazy acrobatics like that were still felt a little excessive. As she fell back however, she felt something by her feet. 

“Well...” She pondered. “If I can’t break through you armour, then I’ll just pierce through it!” She grabbed the object from the ground and threw it into the air. It was Rarity’s discarded spear, which she transformed into a sword. Sombra attempted to stop her melding, but a sudden barrier kept him at bay.

By this point, it was obvious to Sombra what new powers Sunset had obtained. 

“Unbelievable.” He scowled. “It’s little wonder her new powers left me confused, she’s channelling the powers of the other Elements. When the five Elements of Harmony are brought together the sixth shall appear, but I never imagined it could manifest in this world. I have severely underestimated these children.”

Sunset charged at Sombra swinging wildly at him. What her swings lacked in technique, they made up for in sheer force, keeping Sombra on his toes. Even when an opening presented itself and he attempted to counter, Sunset shook it off immediately and continued attacking. She didn't need technique when Sombra couldn't even hurt her.

The battle felt like a lost cause. Freesia’s barriers, Break’s strength, Lady’s transmutation, Ride’s speed and Birthday’s invulnerability. The combination of these powers created an opponent that was impossible for Sombra to overcome, but every Stand had a weakness and based on a hunch, he soon discovered hers.

He purposely allowed Sunset to attack him, manipulating the pace of the fight until he reached his destination. He leapt out of her range and toward her friends. 

They were all standing, but seemed to be in a trance, as they fed their magic into Sunset. Sombra picked Pinkie Pie by the head and dangled her in front of him.

Sunset quickly caught up to him. “What are you doing!? Put her down!”

“I don't think so.” Sombra taunted. “Your power’s certainly surprised me, but the magic of friendship can only save you, if said friends are still alive. The downside to stealing your friend’s powers is that you’ve left them completely defenceless.”

“Hey! She didn’t steal them!” Pinkie disputed, much to Sombra’s surprise.

“Pinkie! You’re awake!?” Sunset yelled, also surprised.

“Well, duh, we all are.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“Yeah, that nightmare sure was scary, but once I figured out I was dreaming, I just dreamed of something more fun, instead. After that, I felt this strange power and an even stranger light and then I just kinda woke up. I mean really, what’s the point of trapping your enemies in a dream if they still have control over that dream, anyway?”

“Yeah, I guess the darkness isn’t all that scary once you know what's lurking in it.”

“Shut up!” Sombra roared. “If I can’t put you to sleep, then I’ll just knock you out, instead!”

“Knock me out? Oh yeah, that's all you can do. You need us alive, or else your whole plan falls apart.” Pinkie giggled.

"Silence!"

"Wow, you're really mad!"

“Sombra! Let her go!”

“I don’t think so. She and the rest of your friends are giving you their power, so all I have to do is remove them from the equation and you’ll be back to your weak self. Checkmate, Sunset.”

Not ready to give up yet, Sunset threw her sword at Sombra. With the sword being tossed under the influence of Freesia’s strength, Sombra had no choice but to detach his Stand to take the blow for him to prevent any further damage to his body, the sword lodged itself inside Black Soul. 

“Now, Pinkie, punch him in his left arm!” Sunset ordered.

“Okay!” Pinkie swung her fist into Sombra’s exposed arm. Although the bleeding from earlier had stopped, the wound left by Rarity was still present and Pinkie’s punch re-opened it, causing it to throb and bleed once more.

As Sombra recoiled in agony from the attack he loosened his grip, freeing Pinkie. He clutched his arm tightly, paralysed by the pain. 

Sunset closed her eyes, spread her wings, widened her stance and focused all of her friend’s magic into her fist.

Sombra scrambled together his Stand armour as he debated whether to take another one of Sunset’s friends hostage, but it was too late. Sunset opened her eyes, her golden aura burning brightly and she set her sights squarely on Sombra who could only look on in silent fear.

“Sombra! We win.”

Using her friends power, she dashed forward at such speed that she briefly disappeared from sight. That brief second felt like an eternity, as Sombra braced himself. Before he could so much as twitch, she reappeared, channelling all of her power into a single dynamite punch.

Sunset’s fist planted itself deep into Sombra’s gut, crushing his armour. The fissures that erupted from the impact of the blow travelled across Sombra’s body, re-opening the tears from earlier, ripping his Stand apart until the force of Sunset’s strike caught up with them. It felt as if a high pressure bomb had detonated into Sombra’s stomach, shattering not only his Stand, but his entire world, as the darkness that had imprisoned them burst apart like shattered glass.

Sunset put everything she and her friends had into that single burst of magic and Sombra felt every bit of it, as he skidded across the ground while pieces of his Stand fell around him like black shards. He was completely defeated. 

“We did it? We did it!” Relieved that their hard fought battle had finally been won, Sunset regrouped with her friends who all congratulated themselves for their victory while Sombra continued to lay on the ground, devastated by their power.

“That was one heck of a trick you pulled out of your hat, but what exactly was all that?” Asked Applejack.

“I’m not sure. It kinda felt like when I fought Twilight. All our powers combined into one. This must be Sky’s real power...”

Sombra slowly worked up the energy to pick himself up, only managing to kneel before the victors. It was hard to believe they were struggling for their lives only moments ago. Even with Stand powers, the Elements of Harmony were a power far beyond his grasp and understanding. Upon reflection, it was obvious he never stood a chance of controlling them even if he did win.

He stifled a laugh. “I should have known better, not to mess with a demon.”

“NO! FREAKING! WAY!” Howled a voice, as a girl stumbled out of the bushes.

“Oh no.” Groaned Sunset. “Not her again.”

Starlight Glimmer made her way to the scene, positively ecstatic over the outcome of the battle. “I can’t believe you actually defeated Mr. Shadowman! And here I thought I’d have to do that part myself, by the way did you ever learn his real name, it was hard to hear or see anything through all that darkness.”

“His name’s Sombra!” Pinkie happily obliged.

“Get lost, Starlight. This battle’s over.” Scolded Sombra.

“Why? You don’t think I’m planning something nefarious do you?”

“Stealing my notebook, drawing the runes for the ritual, not to mention your experiments with the other Stand users.”

“Experiments?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, let’s just say I’ve been busy this past week, learning how to do this!” Starlight’s Stand, Diva, fired a blue beam from each hand, one targeting Pinkie while the other catching Sombra. While the beams caused no harm, they were far from powerless.

Starlight then picked up a sharp rock and used Diva to throw it at Pinkie Pie. She reacted with her usual antics, but once the rock actually lodged itself into her shoulder, she felt a sharp pain followed by bleeding.

“Ow... that hurts...?” Cried Pinkie. “That really hurts... where’s Mini me, Birthday Train... hello?” Pinkie was distraught over the sudden disappearance of her Stand.

Sombra forced himself up, realising the danger of the situation. “Stop this Starlight. The power you’re seeking isn’t something a child can handle.”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be giving me orders, with the miserable state you’re in.”

Sombra replied to her taunt with a swift uppercut to Starlight’s smug face. She reeled backwards, but all he accomplished was sending Starlight into a fierce rage. Her hand became inky black as she returned Sombra’s attack by grabbing his face, holding on tight until he fell unconscious.

“Why do they always go for the nose!?” She took a deep breath, calming herself down. “It’s okay, Starlight. Everything is going just as planned. You successfully hijacked Sombra’s operation, you have all the powers you need and all the ingredients for the ritual are right in front of you."

"Starlight... what are you going to do?" Sunset asked out of genuine concern.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm about to create the ultimate Stand!"
> Part 14-1: Diva of Despair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Starlight.” Sunset addressed. “I already know what you're going to do... a-and I disagree.”

Starlight merely shrugged. “What? All I'm doing is finishing what Sombra started, by using the Elements of Harmony to create the ultimate Stand power.”

“We literally just spent the past week stopping him from doing that, so... could you not?”

“Why? Afraid you won't be able to stop me?”

“No. I’m afraid of something going horribly wrong.”

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. We're about to witness the rise of a Stand power that goes beyond what any of us thought possible. Heck, I'm going to redefine the meaning of power. Aren't you, at least, a little curious to see what will happen?”

“I'm really not...”

“Tough! I’m doing it anyway!”

Dark tendrils crept out of the ground, latching themselves onto the legs of Sunset and her friends, locking them in place.

“Hey! What are you doing!?” Rainbow Dash objected. “These are Sombra’s powers, how are you using them!?”

Starlight waltzed into the center of her ritual circle, as the tendrils dragged the girls into their respective runes.

“Haven’t figured it out yet?” Starlight berated. “Diva's power allows me to steal the Stands of other users.”

“How is that even fair!?” Applejack chastised.

“Oh please, since when were Stand powers ever fair?”

Although Starlight was acting confident, it didn't stop Sunset from noticing a flaw in her explanation. “But, if that’s the case, what was preventing you from stealing our Stand powers earlier, or right now, even?”

Starlight’s mood quickly shifted to a sour mope. “B-because... I can only have two powers at a time. One stored in Diva’s left hand and one in it’s right.”

“Since when?” Sunset replied, looking evermore uncomfortable. “I don't remember you ever having powers like that.”

Starlight was more than happy to elaborate on how she mastered her amazing Stand abilities. “Well, I wasn’t always able to use these incredible powers. At first I was only able to copy them, you know? But, as Diva got stronger its powers evolved from copying to stealing and all it took was a little time and practise. Now, I can steal powers pretty consistently.”

Suddenly, a coordinated assault from the girl’s Stands all collided into Starlight at once, in the hopes of knocking her out. Although her body contorted from the attacks, Starlight was unfazed, mildly amused by their attempts at sabotaging her plan.

“Oh, you cheeky, little devil! You tried to keep me distracted with my own monologue!”

“Um, you were supposed to fall down.” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Did you forget already? Sombra’s Stand wasn’t the only one I stole, Pinkie’s Stand is with me, too. As long as I control that, I’m indestructible.”

“I don’t understand.” Rarity added. “How did you find out about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Put the spear down, Rarity, I’m not blind.” Rarity awkwardly dropped the spear she had secretly crafted, behind her back. “Sombra had already written about them in his notebook, all I had to do was find them.

It’s no secret that strange incidents involving magic have been taking place at Canterlot High, but after doing some research I quickly discovered the video of you girls at the Battle of the Bands. Those symbols, the apples, balloons, diamonds, butterflies and lightning bolt, they all appeared when you unleashed your magic.

You girls have been at the center of every magical event that's happened over the past few months and there are six of you and six elements. Those symbols had to represent the Elements of Harmony, I mean, how much more obvious could you get?”

“Starlight.” Sunset calmly pleaded. “Think carefully about this, you only have five of the six elements. Are you really sure this is a good idea?”

“Wait, I thought you were the Element of Magic?”

“No, I absorbed some of its power, but it’s not the same magic anymore. I’m not really sure what I’d call it now.”

“Meh, you’re close enough.”

With a snap of her finger, Starlight’s Stand powered up, activating the ritual as the runes began to glow.

“Starlight, I’m serious! This is really dangerous! Absorbing all that magic at once could destroy you!”

“Well, duh! That’s why I stole Pinkie’s Stand. My immortal body should be able to withstand the magic just fine.”

As the runes glowed brighter, the girl’s became overwhelmed by their magic, as their Stand’s broke down into pure magical energy, with the exception of Sunset.

“But why!? Why do you even want this power!?”

“Why!? Why not!? Sombra dragged me into this against my will and what did I get in return!? Ridicule, grief and humiliation! All because my Stand wasn’t as strong as everyone else’s! But now, my Stand will reign above all others, unmatched by anyone!”

A tower of light launched out of the ground, piercing the sky, as Starlight and the girls were consumed by the energy. Starlight could feel the power of the Elements flowing through her, as her Stand ascended to new heights of power. The magic tried to burst forth from her very being, but her immortal body kept it trapped within her.

After a short while, the magic beacon of light died down and dissipated, as Starlight returned with her new power. Her Stand had changed slightly in appearance. Embued by a dark aura, its light purple body had been drowned out by a darker hue, with a clock face embedded in its gut.

The rest of the girls fell unconscious after having the magic drained from their bodies. Starlight marvelled at her newly evolved Stand and its impressive form. She looked at the girls, lying defeated on the ground, pleased with how her plan had come together so perfectly, with the exception of one small detail.

“You're not going to get away with this!”

“What!?” Starlight cried. “Sunset Shimmer!? Why are you still conscious!? Your powers should be mine already!”

“Of course they aren't! I just told you, I'm not the Element of Magic!”

“Whatever... it doesn’t matter. The Ritual was a success anyway. Diva’s powers have ascended to new heights, breaking though all limitations! This is Diva of Despair!”

“Subtle... hey, if you absorbed my friend’s magic, then what happened to their Stands?”

“Why, they're all right here.”

The silhouettes of the Stands stolen by Diva’s ritual appeared one after another around Starlight. The powers that had just previously helped Sunset defeat her most powerful adversary, were now under Starlight’s control. Curiously, Sombra’s Stand was absent from the line-up, the ritual must have removed all unnecessary magic before the ascension, but even more curious was the clock on Diva’s chest.

“What’s with the clock?” Sunset asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Did you absorb that weird art piece?”

“I... I don’t know.”

Sunset leaned over to look behind Starlight. “Yeah, you did. Maybe it was to make up for the missing Element in your ritual?”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t I absorb you power? Or the ground or that bench? Why a clock?”

Sunset was at a loss. “I don’t know, I’m surprised you didn’t violently explode.”

“Whatever, in the end, it’s just another tool I can add to my ever growing arsenal of powers, but I’m not done yet. I won’t feel complete until I’ve absorbed your Stand power like I intended, even if it means doing so the old fashioned way.”

Diva of Despair’s hand began to glow, as it prepared to activate its power.

Sunset may have been completely out of her league at this point, but that didn't mean she was totally helpless. She still had one final gambit at her disposal. She suddenly pointed behind Starlight. “Woah! Sombra's getting back up!”

Starlight swivelled around, hoping for another chance to toy with Sombra, but he was still unconscious. She turned back to find Sunset already running for the exit. Enraged that she fell for such a cheap trick, she immediately gave chase.

Sunset ran in a frenzied panic to the exit, as she tried to gather her thoughts. 

“Okay, Sunset. Your friends powers have been stolen by an unstable, crazy woman who used a forbidden ritual she didn’t complete properly, to obtain powers way beyond her understanding and now she’s set her obsessive sights on you, because, apparently having five Stands powers just wasn’t enough.

Alright, calm down, the portal isn’t too far from here. Once I'm back in Equestria I can explain what happened to Twilight and then we’ll figure something out, even though she entrusted this world to you and might be a little disappointed that you let things get this out of hand... oh boy...”

Sunset’s scrambled thoughts took her attention away from watching the road. She ran across, stopping to catch her breath, unaware of the car speeding toward her.

The driver slammed on the brakes avoiding a collision. “Will you kids watch where you're going!?” The man cried. “That was nearly the second kid I ran over today!”

Although she was nearly the victim of a hit and run, Sunset wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Starlight was quickly catching up, using Ride on Time’s wings to close the distance between them. This car was Sunset’s only hope of escape.

She ran to the passenger window, frantically gesturing at the driver until he eventually rolled down the window.

“No time! Need car! Now!” Sunset yelled.

“What? Why?”

“I need a ride!"

"Can't you walk, kid? I'm busy."

"Please, please, please, please, please-”

“Alright, get in!” Sunset jumped into her seat. “This better be important. The police had me in for questioning all day and-”

There was a sudden loud thud as Starlight landed on the car’s bonnet. “You’re not going anywhere, Sunset! Your powers are mine!”

“Floor it!”

The car immediately screeched into top gear. The sudden burst of speed knocked Starlight off balance, as she tumbled over the windshield, over the car and onto the road.

Sunset sighed in relief, as the man lost his edge.

“What the heck was that!? Oh man, I hope that wasn't another kid...”

“Don’t worry, just drop me off at the school, will you?”

Sunset saw no sign of Starlight, as they passed the park, so they were finally able to slow down and take it easy for a while.

There was a sudden loud thud as Starlight landed on the car’s bonnet. “You’re not going anywhere, Sunset! Your powers are mine!”

“Floor it!”

The car immediately screeched into top gear. The sudden burst of speed knocked Starlight off balance, as she tumbled over the windshield, over the car and onto the road.

Sunset sighed in relief, as the man lost his edge.

“What the heck was that!? Oh man, I hope that wasn't another kid...”

“Don’t worry, just drop me off at the school, will you?”

Sunset saw no sign of Starlight, as they passed the park, so they were finally able to slow down and take it easy for a while.

There was a sudden loud thud as Starlight landed on the car’s bonnet. “You’re not going anywhere, Sunset! Your powers are mine!”

“Floor it!”

The car immediately screeched into top gear. The sudden burst of speed knocked Starlight off balance, as she tumbled over the windshield, over the car and onto the road.

Sunset sighed in relief, as the man lost his edge.

“What the heck was that!? Oh man, I hope that wasn't another kid...”

“Don’t worry, just drop me off at the-, wait.”

Sunset saw no sign of Starlight as they passed the park, so they should finally be able to slow down and... take it easy for a while?

It was at this point, Sunset noticed she had passed the park three times now. An ominous feeling of deja vu permeated her mind, like she knew exactly what was going to happen next.

There was a sudden loud thud as Starlight landed on the car’s bonnet.

The man screamed, but this time Sky Should Be High removed the keys from their slot to prevent the car from starting up.

“I’ve got you now.” Starlight teased, looking into the windshield.

Sky flew out of the window, amusing Starlight. "And what could you possibly do?"

The Stand responded by punching Starlight right in her nose. “Ow! Why!?”

The sudden thump knocked Starlight off the car once again, but this time, Sunset exited the vehicle and ran straight across the road toward the mall.

Starlight recovered, but only briefly caught Sunset in the corner of her eye before she turned around the corner. “Oh, great, I lost her. Oh well, I was getting bored of this scenario anyway, a change of location might make things a little more interesting. I can always just create new one.”

As Starlight walked off, the man in the car was left alone and confused. "Man, I knew I should have taken that job in Morioh..."

Sunset arrived at the mall. It was a large open area of tables and benches surrounded by stores and restaurants alike, with the shopping center just on the other side. It was Friday night, so the area was bustling with people, all celebrating the start of the weekend. The large crowds were the perfect cover for Sunset.

If she could make her way through the crowds of people and cut through the mall she could make it to the school and the portal.

However, Starlight wasn't going to let her get away so easily, as she arrived soon after. 

“Sunset may have already hidden herself among the crowd, but I already have a way to search her out.” She released Birthday Train and thanks to its large range and small size, was effective at hunting Sunset down without disturbing any of the mall goers.

“And just in case, I’ll make a new save right here.” 

Sunset waded through the crowd, eventually reaching the entrance to the mall. With a roof over her head and multiple exits to choose from, Sunset could safely escape Starlight without her even noticing. There were less people inside, giving Sunset more room to run around in.

However, in the blink of an eye, the crowd suddenly got thicker. Sunset waded her way through again and once she popped out the other side, she found herself at the mall entrance again.

“What? Wasn't I just here? Is Starlight doing this or has the stress finally gotten to me?” She thought.

Before she could make a move, she found herself stuck in the middle of the crowd again. She fought her way through and made a dash for the mall’s entrance. When she arrived inside, a voice spoke out to her.

“Sunset located!” A possessed Birthday Train pointed to her. In response, Sunset ran inside the store closest to her, a clothing shop. The Stand didn’t follow, it ran back into the crowd while Sunset hid in a dressing room. Finally able to sit down for the first time since leaving school that day, she took this time to think.

“What in the name of Celestia is going on? Starlight must be doing this, but how? Is it teleportation? No... if it were she wouldn’t need Pinkie’s Stand to locate me. Is it gravity manipulation? No, she'd be dragging everyone else with me. What the heck is she doing?”

Before she could think on it further, Sunset suddenly found herself back in the crowd once again. It was only a second ago that she was sitting alone in a store dressing room and yet, here she was, back outside with no prior warning, or explanation. She angrily fought her way through, much to the annoyance of the other people. This time, however, instead of Birthday Train appearing before her, Ride on Time swooped in from above to attack her.

Narrowly avoiding its razor wings, she ran inside the clothing store again, but the Stand followed her. She wasn’t sure how it was tracking her, but it was following Sunset, diving again, with its sharp wings. She couldn't dodge forever, but was unsure of how to defend herself, then she remembered her battle with Sombra and how he handled Dash's Stand.

Sunset ducked the attack and then used Sky to grab the harpy Stand as it was recovering. She then slammed it into a wall as hard as she could. Repeatedly.

Starlight was on the other side of the mall, confident that Ride on Time could handle Sunset without her ever having to lift a finger, but there was a sudden throbbing pain in her face, like a flat object was flattening it.

“What!?” She yelled, as the pain persisted, losing her balance, while random bystanders commented on her strange behaviour. “What is happening!? Stop it! STOP!”

The hands on Diva's clock face jumped backwards and Sunset suddenly appeared in the crowd once again, unsure if her plan even worked.

“SUNSET SHIMMER! SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!” Starlight furiously screamed as loudly as possible. The crowd of bystanders outside the mall all looked toward her with concern.

“Dude, you okay?” Asked one person.

Starlight responded with her Stand. Using Freesia’s strength, Diva of Despair smashed the ground with its fists, forming craters either side of her. Of course, to the bystanders, it just looked as if two craters spontaneously erupted beside her, while the earth shook, for seemingly no reason.

The people weren’t sure whether to run or not. They didn’t understand what happened and instead, opted to fall back and quietly observe. Starlight marched through the crowd, certain that Sunset was close by, but grew more irritated at the people inadvertently blocking her path.

“Out of my way, peons!”

“Excuse me?” One woman asserted, blocking her path.

“I said MOVE!”

The table beside the woman suddenly imploded, crushed to pieces by some unknown pressure. The people reacted in fear, as the crowd dispersed, but there were some still getting in her way. As Starlight marched on, Diva continually attacked, ripping apart the ground, tables and any other objects that would get in its way, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

By this point, the people's fears had overtaken them. They had either run away or hidden themselves inside the surrounding stores. With the crowd gone, Sunset was left completely exposed. Despite her best efforts, she still couldn’t fully grasp Diva of Despair’s true power.

“I’m not letting you get away this time.” Starlight announced. “Your Stand power is mine.”

“Don’t you have enough Stands powers, already?” Sunset retorted.

“Of course not! My plan was to take all six of your powers and I won’t feel complete until I do!”

Diva fired a blue beam, striking Sunset. However, even after its ascension, Diva still failed to absorb Sky.

“It didn’t work? Why? Why can’t I take your Stand!?”

“That's what happens when you don't complete a magic ritual properly, it's messed with Diva's powers... and your head.”

“Are you saying I can't use Diva's original powers anymore!?”

“Most likely. Didn’t you realise you couldn't use Sombra's Black Soul anymore? Didn't you feel like something was wrong?”

“N-no... does it even matter? I don’t want Sombra's power! I want your power! But now I can’t have it, because I messed up some stupid ritual!? That's... that’s not fair!”

“Since when were Stand powers ever fair?”

Starlight’s head was throbbing, desperately trying to contain her anger. She had this nagging sensation to finish what she started, but now that completing her ultimate Stand had become impossible, her mind cracked under the pressure. She could only think of one way to put her mind at ease.

Diva grabbed a piece of debris from the ground and used Lady Fascination’s power to transform it into a nice, sharp stalactite. “If taking your powers won’t satisfy me, then I’ll just have to settle with destroying them instead! How does impalement sound!?”

Her Stand threw the sharpened rock toward Sunset, but she dove out of the way, but before she could pick herself up, she was suddenly standing again, with the rock she just dodged flying back at her.

Sunset didn’t have time to process what just happened, but luckily her Stand instinctively jumped out and caught the rock before it harmed her. Then, once again, the scene reset, with Sunset facing the same rock flying at her, but Sky appeared to catch it a second time.

Over and over the scene repeated itself, but regardless, Sky would always catch the rock before it harmed Sunset. They were trapped in an endless loop, or they would have been, had Starlight not grown so impatient. Sky caught the rock one final time before Starlight yelled at them in anger.

“Will you stop that!? How can such a weak Stand be so obnoxious!?”

Sky's tenacity allowed Sunset to observe Diva of Despair’s true powers much more closely, helping her piece together how they worked and how she could use them to her advantage.

“I had a hunch foul play was afoot.” Sunset explained. “Your Stand is responsible for all those weird loops I’ve been experiencing, right?”

“Wait, what!? You’re aware of them!? But, why!? No one else is!”

“I guess that’s yet another side-effect of screwing up that ritual.”

Starlight was infuriated, that one slip-up in her plan was continually haunting her. Still, even if Sunset was aware of her manipulation, Starlight was confident that she couldn't do anything about it.

She quickly calmed down and elaborated. “Alright, since you’ve finally figured it out, I guess I can throw you a bone... Diva of Despair has the power to revert time. I make a save using its clock and then I can revert time back to that specific point whenever I want. I can revert back to that same point in time, over and over again, as many times as I deem necessary, the only catch is that making a new save overwrites the previous one.”

“And I take it the reason you’re explaining this to me is because you’re confident I can’t stop you?” Sunset replied.

“Obviously. I mean, what are you going to do, punch me in the nose again? Even if you did, no matter what, if I ever take any damage from you, or even get the slightest hint you’ve somehow gained an advantage over me, I’ll just revert time and make all of your efforts pointless.”

Starlight’s reasoning was sound, but Sunset had already detected two weaknesses in Diva’s time reversion abilities. Only someone with a lot of patience would be willing to revert time a near infinite amount of times, until they achieved their desired outcome, but Starlight was not that person. She was easily irritated and had already proven to be perfectly willing to end her time loop if she grew bored or frustrated with the current scenario.

“Your powers may be impressive.” Sunset challenged. “But, there’s one thing they can’t defend you from.”

“What?”

“This.” Sky Should Be High dashed toward Starlight, punching her in the nose. The pain in her face was, yet again, merely a distraction to aid in Sunset’s escape.

After recovering, Starlight immediately reverted time, returning the two back to the scene of the sharp stalactite being tossed at Sunset. Sky caught the rock, once again, but before Starlight had time to brag, the Stand threw the rock back at her.

This revealed the second weakness of Diva of Despair’s power, no matter how much it reverted time, there was no guarantee that Starlight would be able to change the outcome of the scenario to her favour. Sky would always, without fail, catch the rock and then throw it back at Starlight. By turning the tables on her, Starlight was now the one at a disadvantage, the victim of her own Stand power.

Although Starlight managed to dodge the oncoming pointed stone, Sky followed up with another punch to her face, just like before. To undo the damage, she reverted time once again, only for the rock scenario to replay itself. Sky caught the rock, threw it back and Starlight dodged. This time Diva of Despair prepared to defend Starlight from Sky's assault, but Sunset instead chose to run away. 

Starlight allowed Sunset to escape, as reverting time would only put her back in that horrible scenario again. She also wondered why Sunset’s punches still hurt, last time she checked, Pinkie’s Stand should have made her immortal.

Sunset made a break for the mall, running inside. If she could make it out the back exit, she’d be close to the portal to Equestria, but as soon as she reached the doors on the other side she suddenly appeared back at the front entrance again.

Starlight sauntered through the mall’s entrance. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you going somewhere?”

“You can’t keep reverting time like that, Starlight.” Sunset protested.

“Why not? It’s my Stand power. I’m free to use it however I want.”

“But, neither of us are going to accomplish anything if you keep resetting our progress.”

“You shouldn't even be aware I'm resetting your progress at all.”

“Don’t bring that up again! Your botched Stand powers are your own fault!”

“Shut up! They’re still way stronger than yours! No matter where you run or hide you’ll always be at the mercy of Diva’s time reversions!”

“But, is reverting time really a power you want to abuse so much? Won’t you get tired of dealing with the same enemies over and over again? Like them?”

Sunset pointed at the mall entrance. Focused on the conversation, Starlight had failed to notice the police sirens drawing closer to the mall, as the red and blue lights flashed behind her.

“You can revert time as much as you want.” Sunset stated. “But, it won’t prevent those police officers from showing up. You’ll have to deal with them every time.”

“Whatever, if that’s the case, I’ll just deal with them now and then make a save afterwords, simple.”

Before Starlight left, Diva pounded the ground and using Lady Fascination’s powers melted the floor beneath Sunset’s feet, as they quickly sunk into the soft, spongy mass, before it hardened like cement, trapping Sunset in place.

“Just in case you had any thoughts about running away.” With Sunset trapped, Starlight was free to mess with the cops however she pleased.

She waltzed outside, as the officers took cover behind their cars. They received multiple calls about a strange girl terrorising people outside the mall, but none of the callers could explain how she was causing such destruction without any evidence of weapons being used. After reviewing the damage to the surrounding area, the officers were on high alert.

“Stop!” One officer ordered. “One more step and we’ll be forced to shoot!”

Starlight took that as a dare and deliberately took one step forward.

“This is your final warning! If you refuse to cooperate we will open fire! Please, stay back!”

Now she was getting excited and audaciously took one more step. Initially reluctant to shoot at a teenage girl, they were true to their word and opened fire, but Diva of Despair used Freesia’s barrier to deflect their bullets.

Starlight laughed heartily at the officers futile attempts at stopping her. “Finally! This is what I wanted! A chance to use my powers to assert dominance over the weak masses!” In love with her new powers, she didn’t even feel the bullets rebounding off her shield.

As the men desperately tried to land a shot against the seemingly invincible girl, one man leapt out from the cars and high into the air. With the headlights of the cars masking her view, Starlight failed to acknowledge his presence, not that she was paying much attention to anything at that point. As long as she had Freesia's barrier, none of the weak peons could touch her.

With that, she failed to notice the man summoning his massive Stand, as he fell toward her, throwing his entire body weight into one powerful hammer punch. A horrendous pain erupted in Starlight’s head, as the man’s attack shattered her barrier. She had no idea Freesia's barrier even carried such a risk, let alone that it was destructible.

The men ceased fire, as the man summoned a ring in front of them. “Get out of here! Before she gets back up!” The officers stood around confused, angering the man. His Stand pounded the ground, creating large craters. “MOVE!” The men understood and quickly ran through the portal to safety.

As Starlight recoiled from pain, the man found Sunset trapped inside the mall and ran to her.

“Bulk!?” Sunset yelled. “What are you doing here!?”

“I was on my evening jog when my Stand started acting funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yeah, like it knew something bad was going down and then I saw all the people running from the mall, so we came to check it out.”

“Well, thank goodness you’re here, could you help me out?” Sunset pointed to her trapped feet. Bulk’s Stand, Burly Heart tore the floor apart to break her free.

“YOU!” Starlight interrupted. “What are you doing here!? Why does my head hurt!? Is this your fault!? And why am I in such pain!? I’m supposed to be immortal!”

Sunset grew worried for Starlight, the more setbacks she faced, the more unhinged she became. Not only that, but she didn’t seem to do her homework when it came to her friend's abilities.

“Starlight, you do know how my friend’s Stand powers work, right?”

“I... I’m still working out the kinks.”

“Do you even understand the limitations of your own Stand?”

“Diva of Despair has no limitations!”

“Really, because I think you just assumed your Stand was invincible without taking the time to work out the details.”

“What details!? My Stand is the strongest, that’s all I need to know!”

“Then tell me, can you use more than one of my friend's Stand powers at once?”

“SHUT UP!”

"I'll take that as a no."

Starlight charged at Sunset, but Bulk quickly created another ring to help them escape through. They appeared back outside the mall with the abandoned police cars, with the ring disappearing before Starlight could follow them.

They didn’t have much time, as Starlight smashed through the mall’s entrance. Before, she just wanted to fight Sunset to finish what she started, but now she was truly angry.

“Sunset Shimmer! How dare you treat me like I'm some child! Diva of Despair is the ultimate Stand! Who cares if its powers have some minor inconsistencies, I swear to use all of the magic at my disposal to destroy you!”

“Wow, she really is a diva.” Bulk chuckled.

Just then, before Starlight could make a move, a dart flew in from behind Sunset, soaring past her and Bulk and striking Diva’s arm.

Starlight screamed in agony. “What was that!?”

Sunset and Bulk turned around. On the other side of the mall plaza was Gilda, who fired a shot from her Stand, No Mercy. But, she wasn’t alone, she brought friends. All of her friends.

Suri, Discord, Lightning, Coco, Cheese and Trixie were all with her. Even Sombra managed to hobble out of the darkness to observe the fight.

“Yo!" Gilda called. "I figured you could use some help!"
> Part 14-2: Diva of Despair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The park was calm and quiet with nothing but the sound of a gentle breeze blowing through the trees and the soft sound of passing cars in the distance. The cold air brushed over Sombra’s face, sending a chill through his body. He had just regained consciousness.

"Stupid girl." He laughed to himself. "Did she really think I would fall victim to my own Stand power?"

He slowly picked himself off the ground as every inch of him ached, still not fully recovered from the beating he received from Sunset.

Despite the calm silence that had befallen the park, he could tell the battle was still raging on. The immense power radiating from Starlight’s Stand, he could feel Black Soul calling him to find it, to stop it, before history repeated itself. He had no plan, the only thing spurring him on was the determination to see his plan through to the end, to witness the power he had created before it inevitably destroyed everything.

He doggedly limped through the park, only to come across Sunset’s friends, who recovered before him.

“Hey! Guys, it’s him!” Rainbow Dash called.

The girls turned their attention to Sombra, with Applejack marching over to him, grabbing him by his shirt. “Alright you! What happened to Sunset!? Where’s Starlight!?”

Black Soul covered Sombra’s body and Applejack backed off, but having been weakened, his Stand could only muster the strength to cover his chest. “I may not be in peak condition, but that doesn't mean my Stand can't still fight.” He warned. “But, I doubt you girls can say the same.”

The girls awkwardly looked away, their bluff was called before they could even pretend to say otherwise. 

“As I thought.” Sombra continued. “I can’t sense the power of the Elements within you anymore, which means your Stand powers are gone.”

“That won’t stop me from kicking your butt!” Dash retorted.

“Spare me your childish outbursts. I have no interest in you, now that your powers are gone.”

“Come on, girls.” Rarity rallied, getting her friends back on task. “There’s no point fighting him now, we'll find Sunset ourselves.”

“Finding that girl should be the least of your concerns...” Sombra called.

“Excuse me?”

“There is a massive amount of magical energy close by, it's most definitely Starlight’s Stand. If we don’t stop, this world's reality will collapse.”

“I’m sure it would, but finding Sunset is our top priority. We can't do this without her.”

“Starlight's powers are rather erratic, which means she must be in a confrontation somewhere. It's possible the one she's fighting is Sunset.”

“Could you tell us where they are? Pretty please?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“What's the point? You girls are powerless without your Stands.”

“What!?” Dash objected. “Like you can do any better in your condition!”

“You’d only get in the way. You're frail bodies wouldn't even be useful as meat shields.”

“Um, excuse me.” Fluttershy spoke up. “With all due respect Mr. Sombra, but Sunset is our friend. She’s out there, risking her life, fighting a powerful enemy and if we can’t help her, the least we can do is show her our support. Knowing that her friends are okay and that they're still cheering for her, is exactly what Sunset needs right now. Her friends support saved us before and it will save us again, whether we have Stand powers or not is irrelevant.”

Sombra wasn’t in a position to criticise their blind faith in the power of friendship, after being soundly defeated by it himself, but even so, it didn't sound feasible for the Element’s powers to return to the them with just friendship alone, but after giving it a moment's thought, perhaps there was a way. 

“Where is the Unicorn Arrow?” Sombra asked.

“I believe Suri had it last.” Rarity answered.

“Find it and bring it to the shopping plaza. I don't know about this power of friendship, nonsense, but that arrow may hold the key to getting your powers back.”

Those were the instructions he left Sunset’s friends before arriving on the scene of the battle between Sunset and Starlight in the ruined plaza, but he had no idea why all his previous underlings had arrived as well and neither did Sunset.

“Suri!?” Sunset called. “Last time I saw you, you were blacked out in Sombra’s room!”

“Don’t remind me. I thought I’d be wondering that nightmare forever. I have no idea how I got out.”

“I bet it had something to do with those girls giving you a run for your money, right Sombra?” Discord added, Sombra merely gave him a look of contempt.

"But, why are you all here?"

"It was our Stands." Coco explained. "They suddenly started reacting to something, like something was wrong and needed to be stopped. Our Stands helped us find the source of the disturbance and we all ended up here."

“Hey!” Starlight yelled. “What’s going on!? I thought I put at least half of you in the hospital!”

Gilda and the others paid her no mind. “Yo, Bulk. Bring Sunset over here, it's our turn.”

"YEAH!" As instructed Bulk enthusiastically used his rings to teleport Sunset to the back of the plaza, while Gilda and crew prepared for battle.

Starlight looked over the Stand users that stood before her. Seven in total, only Sombra and Sunset stayed back as they were too weak to battle Starlight head on. Discord however, opted to watch from the sidelines.

The mad diva couldn't help but gloat at the fools who dared challenge her. “It doesn’t matter how many Stand users you throw at me. My powers have ascended, risen to heights far beyond anything you idiots could ever hope for. Diva of Despair has made me immortal!”

“Shut up.” Gilda held nothing back. She pointed to Starlight, summoned her maximum of ten turrets and immediately opened fire. A storm of arrows ripped through Starlight’s body, shredding it apart.

“Woah!” Cheese yelled. “You turned her into tattered up taffy!”

Even Gilda was shocked, she thought for sure Starlight would put up a better defence than that. Her body was riddled with holes, but thanks to Birthday Train she was still alive and her body soon regenerated back to normal.

“That was a close one.” Starlight admitted. “Guess I've already figured out who to take out first.”

Starlight strolled over to Gilda who opened fire again, but this time, Freesia’s barrier kept her arrows at bay.

“You jerk!” Gilda berated, clenching her fists. “That’s Fluttershy’s move!” She unleashed an even stronger barrage of arrows, upgrading her storm to a typhoon, but even with her unstoppable firepower, Starlight switched to Birthday Train again and withstood the storm.

Starlight continued strolling over to Gilda, but was unaware of the object drilling through the ground beneath her. Coco’s Stand, Make Oneself had tunnelled underground by hardening itself. Just when Starlight charged at Gilda to attack, the cloth transformed into a rope and laid itself in front of her, tripping her up. Starlight, not paying attention to the ground, fell flat on her face.

She immediately healed her body before switching back to Freesia's barrier. Following suit, Suri’s Hunter Soul entered the hole Coco created and used it to infiltrate the barrier. Despite her protection, Starlight was still trapped within her own bubble with two enemy Stands.

Make Oneself tied itself around Starlight’s feet, locking her in place.

“What are you doing!?” Starlight demanded.

“Taking control.” Suri replied as her Stand entered Starlight’s head. She screamed and thrashed around, but Hunter Soul refused to leave. The plan seemed to be working, until Diva stepped in and promptly tore Hunter Soul from Starlight’s body, throwing it aside.

“Suri, are you okay?” Coco asked.

Suri was more than a little shaken. “Well, that hurt like heck. I figured that would be too easy. I’ll just have to do this instead.” Hunter Soul possessed the debris scattered inside the barrier. Small pieces of rock floated in the air, bombarding Starlight.

Discord was impressed with the girl’s on the fly thinking. “Not bad. They’ve trapped her inside her own barrier and if Gilda keeps up her assault, she'll rip through that protection in no time and Starlight will be soundly defeated.”

“I wish it were that simple.” Sunset added.

Sombra paid particularly close attention to how Starlight's Stand would act.

Just as predicted, as soon as Starlight felt trapped and frustrated, she used her trump card. The hands of time turned back and in the space of a split second, everything was reset to when the battle first started. She reverted time.

The other Stand users were baffled.

“Wait, what happened, did we win?” Asked Cheese.

“Didn't we have Starlight pinned down in her barrier a moment ago?” Coco questioned.

“What happened to the damage I took earlier? It feels like it never happened at all...” Suri added.

Gilda was frozen with shock, she had no idea why she was suddenly pointing toward Starlight again, they had her on the ropes just a second ago, but now everything was back to normal.

Taking advantage of their confusion, Starlight flew at top speed with Ride on Time, targeted Gilda and crashed into her, sending her flying.

Starlight laughed in glee. “I’m pretty sure I broke a few bones with that one. What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to shut me up?”

With Gilda crumpled on the ground, Starlight was free to finish her, until a sudden, gut wrenching pain pierced Starlight’s stomach. She looked down to find a dart lodged in her abdomen. With the last of her strength, Gilda summoned a final turret for one last shot. 

"There... I shut you up..." Those would have been Gilda’s final words, but the shock of her stomach bleeding out, caused Starlight to immediately revert time again, to undo the damage.

Everyone returned to their original positions, with Gilda back on her feet. Starlight wasted no time and shot toward Gilda again, but one Stand user predicted her next move and took immediate action.

With a puff of smoke, a giant stage appeared over Gilda. She ducked as the stage covered her, blocking out Starlight.

“What the!?” Starlight was baffled. “Where did this thing come from!?”

An obnoxious cackle echoed throughout the plaza. Standing atop the stage was none other than The Great and Powerful Trixie.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Watch and be amazed by The Great and Powerful Trixie’s, Great and Powerful Stand: The Midnight Carnival!”

“What!? Diva of Despair is the only Stand that deserves the title: Great and Powerful!”

“Aw, jealous that you’ve been upstaged at your own show?”

“Not if I tear the stage down!”

Starlight summoned Gimme a Break’s strength to relentlessly pummel the stage, but she soon learned it was much tougher that it appeared.

Although she was confident, Trixie was still worried that Starlight may eventually break through, based on her own experience with that Stand, but thankfully Starlight didn’t have the patience nor discipline to commit to such a task and soon wore herself out.

“What is this thing made out of!?” Starlight gasped.

Trixie laid down on her stomach to get a better view of Starlight’s struggle. “You know, I’m starting to think your Stand isn’t as powerful as you think it is.” She taunted.

“Then come down here and fight me, coward!”

“Fight you?” Trixie giggled to herself. “I’m not here to fight you, I’m just the distraction.”

“What?”

From behind Starlight, Cheese had already prepped Nothing Out of the Ordinary, turning it into a massive rocket launcher, his biggest one yet and took aim. “I call this one: The Party Crasher!”

The massive, cartoonish rocket launched itself at Starlight, the roar of its exhaust paralysed her, but just as it was about to collide... time reverted.

Cheese was dishearteningly disappointed. “What? Where’s the boom? I've been cheated out of my boom!”

Starlight laughed, amused by her adversaries troublesome, but ultimately futile, attempts at defeating her. “You idiots still haven’t fully grasped Diva of Despair's powers, yet!? I’d say you were all wasting your time, but that would be technically incorrect. Diva will keep you chuckleheads locked in the same time loop for as long as I please!”

“What do we do?” Lightning expressed, as the pressure as the futility of their actions quickly got to her. “What’s the point of all this? Even if I knew how to use Rift in the Cloud's powers to fight Starlight, it wouldn’t matter. Starlight would just hit the reset button and make it all pointless.”

“Don’t say that!” Gilda yelled. “If Dash were here she wouldn’t care how cheap her powers were. She'd find a way to break the loop, either through skill or dumb luck...”

“But, how?”

Gilda had no idea, she didn't have the guts, nor the lack of brains to be as manic and unpredictable as Rainbow Dash.

“You children need to be more observant.”

Sombra hobbled into the center of the plaza.

Starlight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Oh, come on. What are you going to do? Glare at me?”

“An amusing insult, but funnily enough, glaring at you has been most helpful.”

“Oh? You sound confident. Still got a trick up your sleeve?”

“No trick, just an educated guess.”

“Have you really been watching me or did you pass out during the last few resets? You can’t beat me! Throw in as many Stand users as you want! Come up with as many elaborate plans as you possibly can, I’ll just revert everything back to zero again. Diva of Despair's powers are absolute!”

“Oh, I’ve been paying very close attention. I noticed it when you first reverted time, but it wasn’t until I saw it repeatedly that I was certain. So, Starlight, care to put your ultimate Stand to the test?”

“You’re bluffing, are you implying Diva of Despair has a weakness?”

Sombra made a gesture, urging her to look below. By her feet was a puddle of shadow. Although small, Black Soul was still capable of using its powers. It morphed into a blade that struck upwards, but Starlight simply sidestepped out of the way.

“Was that it? A sneak attack? I didn’t even have to revert time to avoid that one.”

“Perhaps you should have, because it wasn’t you I was aiming for.”

Starlight could feel that something was wrong, she looked up at her Stand. Black Soul’s blade had penetrated straight through Diva’s torso, but more importantly, it shattered the clock on it’s gut.

“Well, Starlight, care to revert this?” Sombra provoked.

“What?” Starlight tried, but nothing happened, the hands of time could no longer move, they were broken, no matter how hard she tried time continued marching forward.

“Whenever your Stand reverted time, it did so by turning the hands on its clock backwards, returning to the same point, with each use, down to the specific second. So I wondered, why would such a powerful Stand need such a specific set up to use its power? But, more importantly, what would happen if its hands could no longer turn? I think the results of my hypothesis speak for themselves. With Diva’s hands of time destroyed, so to is the safety net you've relied so heavily on.

So, Starlight, what will your ultimate Stand do now?”

Starlight was surrounded, but she wasn’t out of luck just yet. Her powers couldn’t be pacified so easily much to Sunset’s shock. “No! The clock is already repairing itself!”

“Unbelievable... when it's damaged, instead of reverting time, it’s reverts the damage I dealt instead.” Sombra groaned. “I’ll just have to keep destroying it, then.”

Black Soul shot its blade out from the ground again, penetrating the clock face, but this time, Diva grabbed the shadowy creature, ripped it out of the ground and tossed it back at its user.

With confirmation of how Starlight’s new powers work and with them temporarily nullified, Sunset finally had time to express her thoughts on how to counter these powers based on her own experience with them.

"Everyone regroup! I know how to counter Starlight's time reversions! Quick, while she's still recovering!" Sunset called out to the other Stand users. 

"Why don't we just attack her now!?" Gilda protested.

"As long as she still has Birthday Train, attacking her is pointless. We need to use this time to prepare our next move!"

Although skeptical, Gilda and the others decided to listen. 

"You really think I'll just let you leave, like that?" Starlight berated.

Utilising Lady Fascination’s power she turned the debris around her into deadly blades, planning to cut them, now that they had turned their backs on her. However, being the last to leave, Lightning Dust caught a glimpse of her sneak attack and used Rift in the Clouds’ wind to defend her allies, dispersing the projectiles. 

"Stay right there, Starlight!" Lightning ordered. "Unless you want Rift's winds to rip you apart!"

"Oh, yeah!? I'd like to see you try!"

"Only if you attack us again."

"What!? Since when were you so honourable!?"

"Ever since I made the same mistake you did, but was still given a second chance. And if I got one, then so can you."

"W-what? F-fine, I'll stay right here... and let Diva throw more sharp debris instead!"

Diva pummelled the ground, creating more broken stone to use as projectiles, while Lightning defended the group with her wind.

The Stand users gathered together, curious as to what Sunset’s plan could possibly be. Gilda was especially agitated. “This better be good, Sunset.”

“Well, it's better than nothing. See, the more you back Starlight into a corner, the more dangerous she becomes. Without her safety net, she could go berserk. So, if we want to beat her, first we have to find a way to contain her destructive powers.”

“Fine... so, what’s the plan, then?”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned fighting Starlight is that she’s impatient and impulsive. The moment her time reversion powers are restored she’s going to want to use them immediately and we’re going to take advantage of that.”

“Guys.” Lightning called. “I can’t hold her back much longer...” 

With the shopping plaza being so large, Rift had to create a massive whirlwind to keep Starlight locked down from all sides, but after a couple of minutes, exhaustion was already setting in.

“Stand down, Lightning.” Called Discord. A couple of minutes was thankfully, all Sunset needed to explain her plan. “I can take over from here, Sunset will fill you in on the details.”

Lightning regrouped with the others, leaving Discord alone with Starlight.

“Oh please.” Scoffed Starlight. “And what’s the old man going to do? Bore me with bad jokes?”

“With you around, telling a bad joke would be redundant.”

Starlight snapped and rushed Discord, throwing a devastating punch to his face, as his head burst into pieces.

“Ha! I guess that joke was dead on arrival.”

“Meh, five out of ten.” Discord’s mushy remains quickly returned to his neck and rebuilt his head, good as new.

“What!? I’m supposed to be the only one here with immortality!”

“You never did understand Good Manners and Customs. Perhaps if you hadn’t run away like a spoiled brat, you would have figured my Stand out by now.”

“Quiet!” Starlight thrusted her fist through Discord’s stomach, but he was hardly bothered about it.

“I never could stomach noisy children.”

“Stop!”

“Oh, don’t be so gutless.”

“STOP!”

“What’s wrong? Having trouble digesting the situation?”

Starlight screamed in fury as magic built up inside her, her eyes glowing a pure white. Discord wasn’t sure what was happening, but before he knew it, Starlight threw all her built up magic into a charged smash that blew him to pieces. Even Starlight wasn’t sure what she just did, but as long it kept Discord quiet she didn’t care.

The small pieces of Discord retreated to the back of the plaza, where Trixie had set up her stage, once again. It was then that Starlight watched as the Discord pieces hid underneath the stage and deduced that the other Stand users must be hiding under there as well.

She flew over and scanned the entire stage, but couldn’t find a way to break in and she didn’t want to waste the energy trying to force herself inside.

“Ready for the final show, Starlight?” Trixie asked having suddenly appeared on the stage in a puff of smoke.

“Final? Are you implying that I’m going to lose?”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve had any luck defeating us so far.”

“Excuse me!?”

“You’re free to take to the stage and prove me wrong.”

Insulted, Starlight took Trixie's bait, eager to wipe that cocky grin from her face. In a few seconds her powers would be restored, so she had nothing to lose. The moment she landed on the front of the stage the barrier appeared.

“Trying to trap me?” Starlight laughed.

“Just making sure you won’t wuss out when you lose. After all, all you’ve got to do is beat me and the show's over.”

“You really think this barrier is enough to keep my power contained?”

A sudden vortex of wind wrapped around the stage.

“Now what?”

“Just another precaution. Can’t have you flying away crying, when you lose, I mean.”

Starlight suddenly burst into laughter again, confusing Trixie.

"What's so funny!? Don't mock Trixie!"

"Diva of Despair’s clock is fully restored." Starlight explained. "Which means my time reversions are back and as long as I have these powers, you don't stand a chance at beating me! I don't care what tricks you have up your sleeve, Trixie, your efforts are worthless before my powers!"

“Alright, Trixie gets it! And they call me a blabber mouth...” 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Starlight rushed Trixie and threw a punch so hard it disintegrated her entire being.

“All talk, as I thought...” But, even though Trixie was defeated, the stage remained.

With a puff of smoke, Trixie reappeared on the other side of the stage, applauding Starlight for her efforts. “Nice punch, although it pales in comparison the spectacular beating Applejack gave me.”

“What!? How did you survive that!? I punched you out of existence!”

“A magician never reveals her secrets.”

Upset by such trickery, Starlight rushed her again, but right as she got close, Trixie spawned a large ring in front of her which Starlight tumbled into, falling through it and landing face first onto the stage.

“Whuh? How did-?” She looked up and saw a second ring above her. She knew she'd seen this power before, but couldn’t remember from who.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, watch and be amazed as The Great and Powerful Trixie reveals her greatest trick yet! Behold, my second Stand!”

Above Trixie, a large, hulking being with large arms and no lower half hovered over her.

“No...” Starlight was stunned in disbelief. “That’s impossible, I recognise that Stand. That’s Bulk’s! But, how!? How are you wielding it!?”

“Magic, duh.”

“That didn’t answer my question! I’m the only who’s allowed to use more than one Stand power!” Starlight charged Trixie again, but was tripped up suddenly and fell again. She looked over to see a familiar, red cloth behind her.

“That cloth again!? Trixie, are you doing this, too!?”

“Who can say?”

Trixie’s smug attitude was grating on Starlight’s nerves, she’d never seen Trixie’s Stand before and was completely bewildered as to what its powers could possibly be.

She switched tactics and opted to use a ranged attack with Ride on Time to cut Trixie down. Trixie simply stood there and took it, as she was sliced in half. Both she and Burly Heart disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared behind Starlight.

“I got you now!” Trixie went on the attack, but before she could land a hit, time reverted.

The two returned to their original positions on the stage, the barrier still up and the vortex still raging above them.

Starlight’s patience was rapidly wearing thin, she was amused at first, but Trixie's attempts at defeating her had already gotten tedious. “I don’t know many times I need to repeat this, but it doesn't matter how many Stands you have, Diva of Despair has no weakness!”

“Really?” Trixie retorted. “I think you’re just talking big because you’re terrified of losing. Why else would you rely so heavily on resetting the fight as soon as you got into a little trouble?”

“With my powers, I don’t need to be afraid of anything!”

“You should be...” Trixie pointed down to the black shadow underneath Starlight, just like earlier Black Soul dove out of the ground in the form of a sharp blade and pierced through Starlight’s stomach.

She was so caught up in Trixie’s smack-talk she barely had time to react with Birthday Train’s invincibility. She was about to revert time again, before her injury crippled her, but there wasn’t any pain, or blood for that matter.

That’s when Starlight figured out the trick. “An illusion? It’s an illusion!?”

Trixie was unfazed by her realisation. “Oh dear, I’ve been found out.”

“Looks like you carelessly revealed your hand. These Stands aren’t real, they’re just fakes!”

“You got me, none of the Stands my Stage summons can actually harm you, but I still have access to all their powers.”

“But, how are you accessing them?”

“My, you’re looking a little flustered, maybe you should cool off.” The vortex of clouds dumped a stream of rain over Starlight’s head. It didn’t help her cool off at all.

Starlight’s magic exploded again, with an intense sparkling aura. “I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR STUPID GAMES! I’M RIPPING THIS STAGE APART!” 

“Alright, you need a time out.” Trixie opened a trap door and dropped Starlight inside. Her anger immediately subsided, replaced with bewilderment.

She fell on something, but couldn’t make out what it was in the darkness. Whatever it was, it wasn’t happy with Starlight using it to break her fall. Starlight had no idea what Trixie had planned for her under the stage, but having been robbed of her sight, she couldn’t be bothered to deal with it and reverted time, again.

“I hope that wasn’t your best shot.” Starlight berated. “I’d say your tricks were a waste of time, but thanks to my powers, they can’t even accomplish that.”

“Bleugh! Now you're repeating jokes, too? I need to shut you up.” Trixie manifested, Cheese’s Stand and transformed it into his trusty Party Crasher.

Starlight wasn’t impressed. “What are you doing? I already know those illusions, can’t hurt me.”

“Then you should have no problem taking this rocket head on then, right?”

“I don’t know what kind of bizarre mind games you’re trying to play, but you can’t fool me. You already revealed you Stand’s weakness. That rocket can’t hurt me!”

“Alright, but when this is all over, you'll only have yourself to blame.” 

Trixie fired the rocket. Starlight was confident that no harm would befall her, but a split second before the rocket detonated, she immediately regretted her decision.

The rocket exploded, the force of which threw Starlight to the front of the stage, smashing her back against the barrier. Bloodied and bruised all over, she was so overwhelmed by the pain she could barely comprehend the damage she sustained, her only hope was to revert time before she completely blacked out.

Although her wounds were now nonexistent after the reset, her heart was still racing from her near death experience. She had no sarcastic quips, or cocky comments, she was in utter shock.

“WHAT!? HOW!?” She wailed, still breathing heavily. “First your powers were an illusion and now they’re not!? I don’t understand! How do you keep doing this!? Your stupid stage makes no sense! And why is my immortality only working some of the time!? Are you doing that, too!?”

Starlight was falling apart, she fell to her knees in despair. She thought Diva of Despair was so powerful that she could just steamroll her way through anyone who dared challenge her, but now she wasn’t even sure if she knew how her own Stand even worked anymore.

“Looks like we finally broke you, Starlight.” From behind the back curtains, Sunset stepped onto the stage.

“Sunset!” Trixie yelled. “My assistant isn’t supposed to be on stage, unless I request her assistance, hence the name: assistant.”

“It’s fine, Trixie. I think we’ve made our point.”

Starlight looked up at Sunset. “You... were you the one behind all of this!?”

“Yeah, I was.”

Trixie was a little peeved that Sunset revealed their trick so early, but at this point it didn’t seem to matter.

“I used Sky’s power to absorb Cheese’s Stand and then I just handed it to Trixie. Trixie may have been the one wielding it, but I was the one firing it.”

Starlight stood back up. “Thanks, although it’s pretty stupid of you to reveal your strategy to me.”

“I don’t think you’ve fully grasped the situation you’re in. Stands aren't the only thing The Midnight Carnival can replicate.”

“Oh, I know exactly what situation I’m in and I already know how to get out of it!” Starlight set out Ride on Time to slice Sunset to pieces, but just like Trixie, the moment it landed a hit, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

“What!? Again!?”

Sunset immediately reappeared next to Trixie. “It replicates people, too and that's just one of many combinations we have at our disposal. That one mistake with the Party Crasher, nearly destroyed you. With the power of all of our friends’ Stands combined, there are hundreds of possibilities at our disposal and you’ll never be able to predict them all.

Which Stands are fake and which Stands are real? Should I defend myself or is this just another ruse? Should I attack this person, or are they a fake, too? Those will be the thoughts tormenting your mind as you struggle to fight back against an infinite number of ever shifting strategies and possibilities.

Which is in stark contrast to your Stand. Diva of Despair is incapable of combining its powers, whenever you use one of my friend's Stands, the others become inactive. You can’t use them all at once, all you can do is switch between them and pray you've made the right choice for the current situation.”

“S-so? Who cares if my immortality only lasts as long as Birthday Train is active. Who cares if I have to leave myself vulnerable in order to use any of my offensive powers. Even if you score a lucky hit, I’ll always be able to revert time. You can’t defeat me no matter how many “possibilities” you have!”

“Your time reversion powers have already been completely dismantled. Sombra already proved how they can be nullified and with all the Stand combinations at our disposal it's only a matter of time before we eventually catch you out. Even if you revert time, you’ll be brought right back onto the stage, trapped in an eternal loop. Your defeat isn’t a possibility, it an inevitability.”

Starlight's nerves snapped, she was running the numbers in her head as the realisation started to slowly seep in. She was truly trapped, locked into an unwinnable situation by her own Stand powers, defeat was her only hope of escape. She cried in anguish and immediately started pounding against the barrier, desperately trying to break through it, with no success.

“LET ME OUT!” She screamed, but nothing changed. She tried flying out of the stage only for Rift in the Cloud’s wind to blow her back down again, she ran to the stage curtain, but the barrier was there, too. She was completely sealed in.

In a blind rage she made a break for Sunset, but Sunset had more than one power aiding her, as she summoned Burly Heart to create two ring portals. Starlight, unable to slow herself down, flew into the first one and then out the second, her momentum then carried her back into the first one again. She repeatedly flew out one ring and into the other, trapped in another, endless loop.

“Geez.” Trixie lamented. “That was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know, I think it’s rather appropriate.”

The girls watched as Starlight flew helplessly through the ring portals, her will completely broken. She couldn’t even bring herself to revert time as it would only lead to more misery.

“Sunset, it’s time.” Sombra stepped onto the stage, giving the signal for the final phase of the plan.

Sunset understood and headed behind the curtain. Backstage, Sunset’s friends had finally arrived with the Unicorn Arrow.

“Sorry it took so long.” Rainbow Dash explained. “The arrow was back at Sombra's hideout and then we got lost or something? It felt like we were passing the same buildings like ten times.”

“I’m just glad you’re all okay.” Sunset responded.

Sombra hurried them along. “Yes, yes. You can do your friendship talk later. We can’t keep this barrier down for long.”

Dash quickly handed the arrow to Sombra who entrusted it to Sunset.

“Are you sure this will work?” Sunset asked.

“The Unicorn Arrow is designed to unleash the magical potential within you, but if that magic is stolen by someone else, then it only makes sense that the arrow would be able to release those powers from their captor and return them to their rightful owners.”

“And you’ve tested this, right?”

“Not at all, but it should work... theoretically...”

"Well, it's our only hope, now."

Sunset hurried back onto the stage and dropped Starlight out of the ring loop. Still dazed from the never-ending ride, Sunset handed the arrow to Sky Should Be High, who rammed it directly into Starlight’s chest.

“Ow! What!?” Starlight tugged at the arrow, but it refused to come out. A bright light radiated from her chest, causing her to freak out again, as she desperately tried to pull the arrow out.

“What is it doing to me!? My magic’s going haywire!”

“It’s returning the powers you stole from my friends!”

In a frantic struggle, Starlight eventually pulled the arrow out of her body, causing her powers to become dangerously unstable.

“Trixie! Lower your barrier again!” Sunset ordered. 

With the barrier down, Sunset proceeded to use Burly Heart’s strength to catapult Starlight out of the Stage, sending her straight across the plaza through the entrance of the mall.

“Wow, you really sent her flying.”

“I just hope that was enough to calm her down.”

Suddenly, the mall was engulfed in a towering light that pierced into the sky. A destructive magical force ripped the entire building to shreds, tearing apart the ground beneath it, as the pillar of light expanded, causing chaos and destruction to the surrounding area as reality began splitting apart at the seams.

“Uh oh..."
> FINAL CHAPTER: Icarus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The earth quaked, the ground tore open and the sky split apart, as reality was slowly ripped asunder by the boundless power erupting from Starlight’s Stand, Diva of Despair. After being struck by the Unicorn Arrow, Starlight lost control over the Elements she had absorbed as the arrow’s influence caused her Stand to become incredibly unstable.

Sunset could only watch, petrified by the towering pillar of light as it slowly expanded, erasing everything it came in contact with, as the ground continued to crumble.

Trixie was just as terrified, demanding answers. “Sunset! What did you do!? What’s happening!?” She yelled, but Sunset didn’t reply, she continued staring at the impending apocalypse unravelling before her.

Aggravated, Trixie retracted her Stand. The stage disappeared, dropping the girls back to the ground and freeing the remaining Stand users hiding underneath. Upon landing on her rear, Sunset suddenly snapped out of her trance.

“Whew.” Cheese gasped. “Glad that’s over with, I was getting sweaty under there.”

The other Stand users were not so nonchalant as Suri pointed to the towering light. “Um... what is that?”

“What the heck did you do!?” Gilda marched over to Sunset, grabbing her by the collar. “You said you needed our help to defeat Starlight, not make everything worse!”

Sunset couldn’t answer. She had no idea their dilemma would escalate so drastically. Before Gilda could rant any further, Ride on Time flew in between them, furiously flapping its wings.

“Back off, Gilda!” Dash called. “This isn’t her fault!”

Gilda dropped the issue and Sunset, she wasn’t interested in a debate, she turned her aggression onto someone else. “Hey, Sombra! You’re the expert around here, how do we stop this!? I didn’t come all the way out here just to watch the world end!”

“It’s just like what happened a thousand years ago...” Sombra explained. “Even with an immortal body, even with Stands and forbidden rituals, the power of the Elements of Harmony still couldn't be contained.”

“You’re talking about what happened in those reports, aren’t you?” Sunset replied.

“Indeed, it was only a matter of time before Starlight’s Stand became unstable. She's like a house with a gas leak. No matter how well constructed the building is, all it takes is one spark to set the whole thing ablaze, destroying it entirely.

The spark in question must have been the Unicorn Arrow. It seems the stolen Stand powers were acting as limiters, holding back all the raw magical energy, but now that they've been released the energy has ignited inside her and that fire is spreading rapidly. All of reality is being incinerated and this time the princesses aren’t around to stop it.”

“Well, how did the princesses stop it last time!?” Applejack asked.

“They were the wielders of the Elements back then and so, they naturally had the power to suppress them.”

“Well, that’s easy then!” Dash responded. “We’re the Elements of Harmony, so we’ll just use our powers to stop them!”

“No! None of you are on the same level as the princesses! Starlight is releasing far too much magic for children like you to handle!”

“Like you have any better ideas! If using the Elements worked before they’ll work again!”

“Nonsense! Fighting Starlight now would be suicide! None of us have enough power to stop her!”

“Maybe not alone!” Fluttershy intervened. "But, if we combined our powers together, we might stand a chance!"

“What?”

“She’s right.” Rarity added. “And I believe someone here has just the perfect Stand for the job.”

The group looked at each other, confused.

Sunset was growing anxious. “Girls, the world is ending, we don’t have time to play guessing games right now!”

Pinkie popped up behind Sunset, pinching her cheek. “It’s you, silly!”

“Me!? But, Sky isn’t strong enough to stop this!”

“Well, duh! Not on its own it’s not!”

“But, what if you used Sky's true power?” Fluttershy proposed.

“You mean, like what we did against Sombra? But, I can only borrow Stand powers.”

Applejack stepped forward. “Well, not this time. You're not just borrowing our powers, we're giving them to you. Everything we've got! All of us are!”

“I'm not sure if Sky's powers can be pushed that far. You really think it's possible?”

“Dude.” Bulk answered. “You’re borrowing Burly Heart, right now!”

Sombra interjected. “This is preposterous. There’s no time to set up a ritual circle!”

“Weren't you listening!?” Dash yelled. “Who needs a dumb magic drawing when we got Sunset’s Stand!”

“As long as her friends are willing, they can give Sunset as much power as they can give, to make Sky Should Be High as powerful as possible.” Rarity added.

“Well, Sombra?” Sunset asked. “You’re the 'true Stand master', you think it'll work?”

“It sounds absolutely ridiculous.... but this kind of ridiculousness is exactly what got you this far in the place...” Sombra glanced over the other Stand users. “There are fifteen of us in total, if everyone lends their power to Sunset then our combined strength might be able to overpower Starlight and save this world.”

“Alright...” Sunset took a deep breath. “Let’s do this... Give me everything you’ve got!”

Sky Should Be High, appeared over Sunset as the rest of the Stand users revealed their Stands one final time. Sky wasn’t just borrowing their powers, but absorbing them, every bit of magic from friend and foe, all in the hopes of creating a power that could rival Starlight's.

Just like their battle with Sombra, as Sky absorbed more magic the Stand merged with its user. After the absorption process was complete, Sunset was imbued with a golden aura. Her powers had yet to stabalise properly, but she could already tell that this was more than enough to not only defeat Starlight, but do so much more.

The magic she absorbed was beginning to meld together, fusing into a new power, but Sunset didn’t have time to sit around waiting for it to finish, she needed to act now. With her new powers, she spread her golden wings and flew toward the light.

The ever expanding pillar of energy consumed everything in its path, but as Sunset drew closer to it, she could still see the shadow of a person inside. If Starlight was still in there, then Sunset needed to force her way in to stop her.

She charged full speed, fist first, but she wasn’t strong enough. The dense pillar of light, forced her out. She needed to dig deeper into her pool of magical energy, in order to gather the power to pierce the light. She charged again, this time her golden aura flared up, unleashing more magic. She pushed as hard as she could, she didn’t care how much power she needed to burn she refused to stop, not until she reached Starlight.

Determined to not let her friends efforts go to waste, she stubbornly kept pushing until she eventually broke through, flying straight into the heart of the storm. In the center of all the chaos was Starlight, clasping at her head, like she was suffering.

Sunset called out to her. “Starlight!? Can you hear me!? Starlight!?”

Starlight responded. She lifted her head, her eyes still empty, possessed by magic.

Sunset reached out her hand. “Here! Grab hold! I’m pulling you out of here, before the whole world collapses!”

“GET LOST!” Starlight smacked Sunset’s hand away, rejecting her help. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

“Excuse me!?”

“JUST LOOKING AT YOU GIVES ME A HEADACHE!”

“That’s just the magic talking!”

“IT’S TOO LATE! I CAN’T STOP! I WON’T STOP! I’LL PROVE MY STAND IS THE STRONGEST, EVEN IF I HAVE TO GET RID OF THIS WHOLE WORLD!”

“NO! STARLIGHT STOP!”

Starlight's emotions reached their peak, words could no longer reach her, as she was consumed by her own hatred and seeing Sunset's face only angered her more, causing her emotions to run rampant, intensifying her destructive magic. This new wave of hatred caused one final outburst, blowing Sunset away as a bright, blinding light enveloped everything until eventually... there was nothing.

Starlight felt relieved, having ejected all the magic bottled up inside her. She fell to her knees in the empty white void and laughed. She threw her head back, laughing louder and louder, until all her stress melted away.

She calmed down, raising her fist in the air, in triumph. “I DID IT! THE WORLD MAY BE GONE, BUT I PROVED THAT, WITHOUT A DOUBT, DIVA OF DESPAIR IS THE STRONGEST STAND! THE UNBEATABLE STAND! THE ULTIMATE STAND!”

“Congratulations.” A voice echoed. 

Starlight jumped back up as a pure, white light suddenly descended from above, shining brightly, even in an already white void. The light shone from a pair of angelic wings that upon landing, opened and spread apart, revealing that Sunset Shimmer was not only still alive, but she had changed.

Her clothes, her wings, even her hair had been washed in a pure white glow. The magic she had absorbed from her allies had finally stabalised and her Stand had ascended to new heights of power.

A feeling of absolute dread and disgust fell over Starlight, like Sunset just booted her off her first place podium and stolen her trophy. “How? How are you still here?”

“With the power I received from my friends. Thanks to them, it’s gonna take a lot more than childish screaming to stop me, now.”

“Why? Why do you keep getting in my way!? Why can’t you just let me win!?”

“You started this fight, Starlight. Don't start crying to me, because you're losing.”

“Losing? Why? Because you have the power of friendship on your side? I’m not sure if you’ve realised, but erasing the whole world means your friends aren’t around to bail you out anymore. You're the one who's lost!”

“Wrong! They’re still here! Their power lives on as a part of my Stand! A Stand that represents the flames of friendship! A fire that will never die! A Shining, golden ray of hope! Icarus!”

“Icarus...? You can’t possibly have any more tricks left, especially now that you have no more friends to leech off of.”

“Try me.”

Starlight rushed toward Sunset, who simply folded her arms patiently. Starlight may have lost the powers she absorbed, but Diva of Despair still had plenty of strength at its disposal. More than enough to crush Sunset.

Diva swung back and forth unleashing heavy blows across Sunset’s face, rocking her head from side to side in a brutal onslaught before finishing with a final gut punch, leaving Sunset hanging, limply on its fist.

“Remember what you said, Sunset?” Starlight gloated. “It doesn’t matter how powerful the Stand is, the user is still just a person. Leaving yourself open like that was the last mistake you’ll ever make!”

Starlight finished her assault with a final thrust that smacked Sunset onto the floor.

“Give me a little credit, Starlight...” Sunset rose to her feet, unfazed. “You don’t really think I’m that stupid, do you?”

“You’re... not hurt?” Starlight was, once again, driven into a rage as she fell for yet another one of Sunset’s traps. “How!? I pounded your big, stupid, face in! You should be a bloody mess!”

“Under normal circumstances you’d be right, but we’re well past fighting with anything that could be considered normal. Now, let me show you what happens when you fly too close to the sun.”

Sunset’s white aura burst forth an intense wave of heat, covering an enormous area, engulfing Starlight. The heat tore through Starlight’s body, searing her right down to her very soul, or at least, that’s how it felt. After the heat wore off, despite the burning sensation, Starlight’s physical body hadn’t received any damage at all.

She didn’t understand why, but if her body was unharmed then Starlight was willing to fight through the pain and immediately retaliate against Sunset. She charged in again, this time, wildly throwing as many punches as she could, knocking Sunset around like a punching bag.

“Fall! Fall! Why won’t you fall!?” Starlight refused to stop punching, she wouldn’t rest until she was sure Sunset had finally been beaten senseless, but it wasn’t working. Sunset barely flinched at all, her body wasn’t sustaining any damage and soon, Starlight started to tire.

As her fatigue set in, Starlight hesitated for a moment and in that brief moment, Sunset’s aura flared up again, releasing another massive wave of heat, setting Starlight’s soul ablaze. Once again, despite her body being unharmed, the searing pain was more than real.

“Figured it out yet?” Sunset asked.

“N-no... I don't understand... what happened to you? What happened to your Stand? What even is your Stand?”

“It's called Icarus and its aura is an absolute defense created from all the magical energy lent to me by my friends. Fourteen Stand users, entrusted me with their magic, all for the sole purpose of defeating you and saving our world. So, unless you can somehow muster the strength to overcome fifteen friends worth of magic, you’ll never lay a finger on me.”

“But, what were those heat waves?”

“Once Icarus absorbs damage, it reflects it back in the form of heat waves that incinerate your very soul. Icarus can’t hurt your physical body, but that just means your suffering will last as long as you’re willing to endure it.”

Even in a void of infinite space, Starlight still felt backed into a corner, practically on the verge of tears. “This is impossible... even with the ultimate Stand, I... I can’t beat that... I can’t win...” She was completely shaken, unable to determine whether to be angry or frightened by Sunset’s power. “How!? How is your Stand that strong!?”

“Because, unlike you, my powers weren't stolen.”

“Is this another friendship thing?”

“Looks like you’re finally starting to understand. Your powers were stolen, you treated the people around you like tools, a means to an end. All to fulfil your own selfish desires of becoming stronger. But, I'm not interested in power anymore. I just fight to protect my friends, my home and Equestria.

The bonds of friendship I shared with my friends and the trust all the other Stand users shared with me, is what allowed my Stand to ascend, without the need for convoluted schemes, or rituals. A power gained through force, theft and manipulation could never beat one forged by real bonds!”

“This isn’t fair... after all the planning I put in, how could I be beaten by something as abstract as friendship? How can friendship make you stronger?”

“When people put their trust in others, they can work together to achieve things they never could on their own. Even former enemies can put their differences aside to achieve something greater than themselves. It’s not a difficult concept to grasp.”

“Alright, I get it...”

“Well, now that you’ve finally conceded, why don’t you explain yourself? There’s no way you planned on staying in this empty void forever, so after erasing existence, what was your next move?”

Starlight chuckled to herself. “That’s right, I’m not done yet, I’ve still got one last trump card to play. I would have done this sooner, if you hadn’t shown up to upstage me, with your new Stand powers.”

“You can play as many trump cards as you want, Starlight. As I am now, you can’t beat me.”

“You’re right, I can’t beat you now, but what about then?”

“Then...? You wouldn’t dare... Are you seriously going to rely on time reversion again?”

“No, even better. With your friends Stand powers no longer weighing me down, Diva of Despair is free to utilise the full extent of its time reversion powers!” The hands of time on Diva’s chest began to turn. “My restrictions have been lifted! I don't need to rely on specific save points! Now, I can travel back to whenever I want!”

“What!?” Sunset braced herself as time rewound, all the way back to a certain day, a day in which Starlight believed she would be able to defeat Sunset and her friends.

As the bright light of Diva’s time warping powers died down, Sunset’s vision returned. She found herself just outside a rundown old house in the middle of the forest. She immediately recognised the house as Sombra’s hideout.

Starlight’s threats turned out to be more than just desperate boasting, she really was capable of travelling further through time with her unrestrained Stand powers, but what point in time they were in was another issue entirely.

Based on her observations, all she could tell was that it was some time during the day. Not wasting a second, she flew above the house to scan the area and spotted Starlight close by.

She was lurking around the entrance to the house. “Well, isn't this lucky. I thought I saw her in the forest that day.” Starlight told herself, as she found Fluttershy sitting just outside the front door, unconscious. “I thought I’d have to fight her, but it seems she’s fallen into Sombra’s trap. Perfect.”

Starlight approached Fluttershy, but before she could do anything, Sunset flew down, blocking her path, with her arms folded and wings outspread. Her blinding aura intensified, warding Starlight away.

“So, this was your plan?” She speculated. “Destroying the world meant nothing to you, because you were just going to travel back in time, anyway.”

Starlight was flustered by Sunset's uncanny ability to follow her, even through time, but at this point it was hardly surprising. “Your Stand may have ascended past mine, but that’s no longer a problem. If I snuff out your friends in the past, you won’t be able to use their powers in the future.”

“Interesting... but here’s a thought: Aren’t my friends the reason you even have those time travel powers to begin with?”

Starlight paused for a moment, as she realised what a horrible mistake she was about to make. If she dealt with Fluttershy now, she won’t have the powers she wanted in the future, making this whole endeavour pointless, but she wasn’t about to lose face in front of Sunset.

“It appears that, in my haste, I may have made a... miscalculation... but that’s fine, we’ll just have to try this again. Let’s go back even further!”

A bright light appeared again as Sunset and Starlight were swept back into the river time to another point in Starlight’s memory, as Fluttershy awoke from her nightmare, confused as to where the shining angel wings, that broke through the seemingly endless darkness and rescued her, disappeared to.

This time Sunset and Starlight appeared in a small parking lot, near Canterlot High. Sunset didn’t recognise the area as being particularly significant, but Starlight certainly remembered something important about it.

“Why’d you bring us here? Did you lose your car keys?” Sunset asked.

“No. I came to find this sorry old man.” Starlight pointed to the unconscious body lying just across from her.

“Discord? When was this?”

“Right after we raided the school. This is where we found him after we retreated.”

"And what are you planning to do with him?”

“Eliminate him, obviously. If he never blabbed about Sombra’s existence, you never would have interfered with my plans. You’d still be running around clueless.”

“Is your strategy to beat me really just travelling back in time to eliminate the people that inconvenienced you and helped me?”

“Obviously. It’s clearly the simplest solution.”

“More like the most psychotic.”

“Shut up! Removing Discord now ensures my plan will proceed perfectly, by the time you and your friends start interfering, it will already be too late!”

“I don’t think that really guarantees anything, all it really does is potentially skip our battle with Sombra, which you used to lure us into your trap in the first place.”

“I-I know what I’m doing!”

“And since Sombra was already interested in our powers, we would have met with him eventually, only this time, he would come to us and who knows how that scenario would play out.”

“I said shut up! I found a way to trap you before and I can do it again!”

"If you're so confident, then why haven't you attacked Discord already!?"

"Because.... I-I..."

“Honestly, now you’re just grasping at straws, but even if your plan could work, you’d have to get past me before you could even try it!”

Starlight froze up, she knew getting past Sunset would be impossible. The blind fury and resolve that carried her this far was useless against Sunset’s new power, she was simply too strong to fight head on. There had to be a way, another way to fight Sunset that didn’t involve attacking her directly...

“One more...” Starlight replied. “There's one location, one event, one specific point in time. If I can find that, I can change everything.”

"Well, make it quick. Discord's waking up and I don't want to deal with any time paradoxes."

Diva of Despair turned back the clock once again, as the girls were consumed by another bright light, as Discord regained consciousness. 

"Huh... angel wings?" He muttered to himself. "Oh my... I need to take better care of myself, I'm far too young to be knocking on heaven's door just yet."

As Starlight travelled through time, she searched for a particular moment. She only heard of it from her colleagues, but she had to find it, this was her last chance.

This time they appeared outside Canterlot Park, in the middle of the night. From across the street, Sunset saw a familiar scene. She saw herself, cornered by a hooded assailant, the day she first received her Stand.

Sunset immediately knew what Starlight was planning, the one way she could guarantee her plans would succeed was to eliminate the one person who consistently got in her way, Sunset herself.

Before Sunset could even attempt to stop her, it was already too late. Starlight and her Stand crept out of the darkness, as Diva of Despair plunged its fist straight through past Sunset’s stomach.

In that brief moment, Starlight had finally outwitted Sunset, completely out manoeuvring her absolute defense. Time slowed to a crawl while Sunset could only look on, as the existence of her past and present self hung by a thread. In that split second, where time seemed frozen, both girls had already accepted that Starlight had finally won. Unfortunately for Starlight, there was one factor she never even considered, something not even Sunset herself could have predicted, despite having already lived through this very experience once before.

Icarus’ powers activated.

“What!?” Starlight’s heart stopped as Icarus’ heat waves burst forth from past Sunset’s body, sending Starlight flying. Icarus' power quickly healed the hole in past Sunset's stomach, as if it never happened.

The present Sunset flared up her aura, blinding everyone around her in order to prevent any potential time paradoxes and quickly flew over to Starlight, who was writhing on the ground in her own misery, far away from the scene.

“That's crazy...” She whimpered. “Even in the past, your Stand still protected you?”

“I’ll admit, you scared me there, that was genuinely clever of you.” Sunset laughed, almost feeling sorry, that Starlight was cheated out of her victory. “But, it seems Icarus' powers are designed to protect me and it takes that role very literally.”

“That’s not even funny, it’s just... depressing... I tried everything: I strategised as carefully as I could, I bided my time, experimented with my abilities and the abilities of others. I made Diva the strongest Stand imaginable... I even used real, actual time travel... and I still couldn’t beat you...”

“You know, most people would be impressed if they were able to pull off even half the stunts you did, over these last few days. It’s just a shame you did it all for nothing more than a selfish desire for power. Where did this obsession even come from?”

"Obsession? Right... ever since I got these powers, I've been obsessed with them. Spending all my time trying to improve them, because they were weak, so weak that nobody believed they could ever be useful." 

Starlight was ashamed of herself, after having her ultimate Stand soundly beaten, her spirit crushed and her mind dragged back into reality, she decided to use her powers to travel back, one more time.

Back to the day she received her Stand.

It was a cool Spring evening and as the Sun was setting below the horizon, Sunset found herself in the bushes just outside Sombra’s hideout, along with Starlight.

“Why’d you bring us here?” She questioned.

“This is where it all started.” Starlight pointed.

While the two of them hid, in the distance they could see Suri and Bulk escorting a confused Starlight into the building.

“I had no idea what was going on.” Starlight explained. “One minute I’m walking through the park and the next thing I know, I’m pierced by an arrow, overcome by some strange force and then taken to some weird building, deep in the woods.”

“What happened in that building?”

“Sombra happened...”

Once inside the house, to ensure Starlight remained obedient, Sombra gave her a taste of what his own Stand was capable of. He reached out his blackened hand, latching onto her face and drowned the entire room in darkness. She couldn’t move, her feet were stuck to the ground and she began to sink.

She fell deeper and deeper, as Sombra’s hand pushed down on her, with his piercing red eyes forever glaring. First her legs became submerged, then her arms, until she was finally neck deep, her body swallowed by the darkness. She struggled, but she couldn’t fight it, she could only look on in fear as the man slowly forced her further into the void, as her body grew heavier and her breathing became erratic, until eventually... she woke up.

She found herself back in the hallway, like nothing happened.

Sunset was noticeably upset by Sombra’s treatment of Starlight, especially after becoming a victim of those same awful powers, herself. “He used his Stand to intimidate you into joining his cause.”

“That was his way of dealing with everyone.”

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know those nightmares came back to bite him, when they helped me awaken Sky’s true powers. After that blunder, he never stood a chance against us, we kicked his butt.”

“Good, he deserved it. Sombra, Suri, Gilda, Discord, Lightning. None of them took me seriously. I was just a burden to them, treating my Stand like it was a dud. All because I didn’t understand how to use it, yet.

I never even wanted Stand powers to begin with, I was forced to use them, to follow his orders and when I did use Diva, all I got was ridicule, because I was weak. I thought, since we were all in this together, we’d help each other, but nobody cared about me at all.

But, then I discovered Sombra’s notebook. Once I found out about the Ritual Circle, I pieced together Sombra’s true plan. To create the ultimate Stand. I wanted to show them, that my Stand wasn’t just capable of being strong, but the strongest Stand imaginable and what better way to do it than by using Sombra’s own plan against him.”

Sunset added. “And then once you got that power, it went straight to your head, drove you crazy and you attacked anyone who looked at you funny.”

“If I wanted to beat someone as ruthless as Sombra, then I had to be just as ruthless, but... maybe I took things a little too far.”

"I think destroying the world is more than 'a little'."

"Oh... what was I thinking!?"

“Hey, I get it. I’ve been there. Once you obtain ultimate power, it’s hard to control yourself, especially when you’re all alone and feel like you have nothing to lose.”

“And let me guess. What saved you in the end was the magic of friendship, right?”

“Of course.” Sunset smiled.

Starlight sighed to herself. It sounded so stupid, but she couldn't argue against it. The magic of friendship made Sunset far more powerful than she could ever hope to be. 

Still, there was something Starlight needed clarification on. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“What?”

“Friendship... is that the reason you haven’t beaten me up yet? You’ve had plenty of opportunities and I’m sure your new powers are more than strong enough to finish me... but, you always let me go... why?”

Sunset chuckled. “Beating people up isn’t what Icarus’ power is really about. It’s about reflecting the pain my opponent causes back at them, rendering their own power useless.

Eventually they’ll get so worn down, they’ll have no choice, but to listen to me, reflect on their actions and hopefully realise the mistakes they’ve made, otherwise they’ll just keep hurting themselves.

I don’t know how deadly Icarus can be if someone were to keep attacking it, but I'd really prefer not to find out.”

Starlight remained silent as the two of them sat in the forest together, until it started to fade away, returning them to the present. In the void of nothingness, Starlight suddenly broke down, as the consequences of her selfish actions started to set in.

“I can’t believe I did all this, just because I was made fun for being weak. For powers I never even asked for. To win a fight I never even wanted... and no amount of apologising is going to fix it. What are we supposed to do now?”

“It should be possible...” Sunset thought aloud.

“Is what possible?” Starlight sat up.

“With the amount of magic the two of us have. If we worked together, we should be able to reverse the effects Diva's powers.”

“How?”

“Come on, Starlight. Who here has the power to revert the world back to the way it was?”

Sunset reached out her hand. Starlight wasn’t sure what Sunset was implying. “How can my powers bring the world back?”

“Well, maybe not on there own, but what if we shared our magic with each other?”

Starlight took Sunset’s hand and pulled herself up. "Right, we'll do this together!"

With the help of Icarus’ magic, Diva of Despair, used its time reversion powers, one final time, to revert the destruction it caused and rebuild the reality it destroyed. Slowly, but surely, the empty void began to fade as the shopping plaza came back into view.

Buildings were reconstructed, the earth became stable and the Sun began to rise over the horizon, filling the sky with light, once more. It was an arduous task for the two Stands, as they expended every once of magic they had bringing the entire world back to normal and upon completing of their final mission, their presence and magic faded away.

The rest of the cast were overcome with a flurry of emotions, trying to grasp what had happened to them, before eventually remembering the events that transpired.

Sunset’s friends called out to her as they rushed over for a group hug.

“Girls, please. I can’t breathe.”

“I can’t believe you did it!” Pinkie yelled.

“Me? You should be thanking Starlight. It was her Stand power that brought everything back.”

Starlight waved meekly.

“I don’t know.” Dash replied. “She was the one who caused this mess in the first place.”

“I know... I’m sorry...” Was all Starlight could think to say.

“Sorry!?” Decried Gilda. “After you betrayed us!? Attacked us!? That’s all you can say!?”

As Gilda marched over, Sunset blocked her path.

“Out of my way!” Gilda ordered as she grabbed Sunset by the collar, again.

“You know, maybe if you treated Starlight a little better, this wouldn’t have happened. What Starlight did was wrong, but you’re not exactly in the right either.”

Gilda had no reply as Starlight tried to diffuse the situation. “Maybe we can just start over, as real friends this time. You know, without the supernatural powers.”

"I'll think about it." Gilda released Sunset from her grip and walked away.

Sunset fixed her shirt before turning her attention elsewhere. “That goes for you too, Sombra!”

Sombra flinched slightly.

“You’re the real reason this all started in the first place. You brought Stand magic into this world, used fear and intimidation to control people and set Starlight down a path that nearly destroyed us all! I'd slap you if you weren't twice my size. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I have better things to do than stand around being lectured by a child.” Sombra turned his back and left, but not before picking something off the ground. “Here.”

Sombra threw the object toward Sunset. “The Unicorn Arrow?”

“Keep it.” He replied. “It’ll be safer in your hands.” With those final words, Sombra took his leave to parts unknown.

“Hey.” Starlight asked. “What happened to all the Stand magic, anyway?”

“We must have used it all up bringing the world back.” Sunset answered.

Applejack was relieved. “So, those Stand thingies are gone? Thank goodness. The less magic ghosties we have running around the better, I say.”

Dash however, couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. “Heh, yeah.... not, like we they were cool or anything...”

Fluttershy put her hand on Dash’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. I’ll miss them too, but at least everyone is safe now.”

“Indeed, I think I’ve seen enough bizarre magic powers for at least... oh I don’t know, a couple of weeks, tops.” Rarity expressed.

Starlight returned to her group. “Um... so, what do we do now?”

“We should probably head home and get some rest.” Coco responded. “We can always meet back here later.”

"What!? Why!?"

"To hang out of course! You know? Like friends?"

“Oh... right.... I’d like that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t.” Discord intervened. “Saturday is me-day and I’d rather not spend it with a bunch of trouble making teens, or with any teens for that matter.” Discord exited the scene, with one final comment. “Oh and girls, if you happen to get involved in more magical mischief, do me a favour and keep it as far away from the school as physically possible. It would make my life a whole lot easier.”

The rest of Starlight’s group headed home, as Starlight and Coco continued their conversation.

“You seem pretty nice. I wish you were around when I got involved in all this.”

“I was around. I was just under mind control at the time.”

Trixie left on her own, lamenting how she’d have to return to using her old tricks at her magic shows.

Cheese returned to the bus stop. He couldn't remember where he was going before all this Stand business happened, but was sure the wind would figure something out for him.

And, Bulk was just happy to have some new pals to hang out with.

Sunset and her friends stayed behind to watch the Sun continue to rise over a new day.

“After everything that’s happened over the past few months, the Dazzlings, Midnight Sparkle and now this? I could really use a break.” Sighed Sunset.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about that...” Replied Applejack. “I heard the school is trying to raise funds for a trip to Camp Everfree, pretty soon. Maybe we can start working on that, take our minds off all these magic super villains for a while...”

“Camp Everfree... sounds nice."