Chapters The early morning mist floated serenely in the streets of Canterlot, a small town in the city of Equestria (named as such for their initial settlers adeptness at horse breeding). Such was not unusual. What was however was the Sixteen year old girl talking animatedly to a rabbit ambling alongside her. Her name was Fluttershy and this was --according to her parents-- her 'thing', a natural love and connection with all living creatures so long as they didn't pay taxes or ask why she carried numerous animal calls on her person. Normally Five A.M. was far too early for the girl but it was the only time she could walk the urban streets with her favorite furry little friend and not get derisive looks or encounter the potential danger of vehicles and people stepping on his cute little self, plus a little exercise never hurt.
"-as saying to Rainbow Dash I dont know whether or not I WANT to join her band ? I mean I know i'm her friend but....well...the thought of all those stage lights and everyone looking at me just gives me terrible stage fright. I'm not being a bad friend am I Angel ?"
The rabbit looked at her with disinterest, his nose twitching at the scents on the cool air. What brainpower he did have was dedicated to trying to understand why the soil was grey and hard with no grass to munch on. Fluttershy's face dropped slightly, she wished she could understand him better just to hear him speak would be a dream come true to her, it didn't help somewhat that their inter-dimensional pony friend (she still found it weird even know to think of her like that) had a talking dog and had casually mentioned that 'her' Fluttershy could naturally converse with creatures as if they were people. It just didn't feel fair.
"Oh I dont know Angel, maybe if I got more confidence in myself ? "
Another blank stare followed this time by a short scratch, the large flat feet impacting against a particularly itchy spot behind his ear. A resolute look formed on the teenagers face, she was determined, she would get confident ! She would be in the band ! She woul-
BEEP BEEP
It happened in horrific slow motion, Angel hopping off the curve into the road chasing after an errant dandelion fluff that had caught his attention, the motorcycle speeding down the usually empty road, the horrific crunch as they impacted followed by the tiny creature being flung back near her feet by the sheer force its body split open. Her former bravado immediately dissolved as she dropped to her animal companion on the harsh cement. To some this would be an unfortunate accident but not life changing, merely one of those things that hurts for a short amount of time before dissapearing, the more callous might even replace the animal within the same day. Not Fluttershy. She had owned Angel for only a year but she felt as if she'd known him all her life. Tears welled up in her eyes as the poor creature struggled to right itself from its prone position, blood oozing out of its wounds. She knew how to help with minor injuries but a cold part of her deep inside knew she could do nothing for him now.
"A-n-n--gel" she sobbed
"Oh my god I'm so sorry miss !"
Fluttershy looked up at the deep voice, it was the owner of the motorcycle, his helmet now removed. He was very tall and broad with handsome features that she might have blushed over normally, his exotic Asian looks and unique hairstyle would cause some of the other girls at school to drool as well. Shocked at her callous thoughts she felt rage bubble within her.
"Sorry ! Sorry ! You killed Angel ! LOOK AT HIM ! LOOK AT....at..at all the pain hes in" her anger withered on the vine as her animal companion finally managed to right himself only to begin coughing up blood, more crimson seeping out his chest gash.
The man frowned with a look of focus on his face staring at the rabbit.
"I...might be able to do something about this, you gotta promise not to tell anyone though"
Her face lit up at even the possibility of saving her friend even as the cold voice from before berated her for false hope
"Please anything, anything at all just help him !"
The man nodded and knelt down towards Angel, he extended his arm slowly tentatively reaching out and stroking the dying creature Fluttershy could have sworn she heard him mutter something and she was even more sure she saw some kind of pink flash extend outwards from his hand. Within a blink however the wound was gone, the blood non existent and the small mammal happily nuzzling her leg. She looked at the stranger with wide eyes.
"Your...your not magic too are you ?"
His face scrunched up in confusion.
"Eh I wouldn't call it magic more ah...uh...skill if you want, but remember this is between us" he capitalized it with an exaggerated wink even Pinkie would be proud of. With a smile he stood up and walked back to his black motorcycle emblazoned with the words "Golden Spirit" and placed his helmet back on. Scooping Angel up in her arms she approached the now revving vehicle.
"Whats your name and how can I ever thank you ?"
"SORRY CANT HEAR YOU OVER THE ENGINE AND THIS HELMET" he yelled giving a thumbs up "KEEP SAFE THOUGH, DONT KNOW WHAT KIND OF CRAZIES WANDER THE STREETS AT THIS TIME"
With that he rapidly (and somewhat awkwardly she noticed) sped off. As soon as she got home (this time carrying Angel all the way, she'd have to invest in a nice collar and lead for him) she'd contact the girls. It was turning into a very bizarre day.
"Twenty eight.....twenty nine.....thirty!"
These were the sounds emanating from the open window of a small nondescript house in the suburbs of Canterlot, a irritating noise causing many of the neighbours to rue the day the corpulent owner had allowed his home to be rented out. Needless to say the originator of said noise was oblivious to this resentment. After all five thirty AM was a fine time for some exercise in his opinion jet lag and time difference with standing. He'd always found some recourse in his morning workout, it helped clear his mind and appreciate the little things in life.
"Like yourself for example" his mind lashed out.
Pushing past the negative thought he began on his sit-ups, dumbbells cast to the corner of his neat and functional bedroom. He'd noticed that he was becoming more positive and outgoing over the last few months then he'd ever been before in his life, an after-effect no doubt of his newest friends and their frequent --if bizarre-- escapades. Years ago such a thought would of been a daily barrage, now it was perhaps a once a day affair. He'd grown beyond it all. Hell he'd even managed to start a relationship with a gorgeous girl !
"Not bad for the 5'2 'shrimp' of Class C eh ?" he muttered as sweat began dripping onto his gym wear.
Stopping momentarily he looked out the window at the misty unfamiliar land before him. He missed Yukako desperately despite only having seen her three days ago. Their relationship was a tad odd he'd admit. Not many couples began by kidnap, imprisonment and then a technical battle to the death but she'd...well for a lack of a better word 'calmed down' since she'd become part of his and his friends little group. To be fair that happened rather frequently with a lot of their so called 'enemies'. A small part of him wished she could be with him on this trip (the first time out of his home country of Japan) but the Speedwagon Foundation must of had their reasons for picking him, Josuke an-
CRASH
"Hey Koichi you gotta come see this !"
Sighing the sixteen year old stood up and shut his window --better safe then sorry-- and wandered out of his room and downstairs to the commotion caused by the third member of their little group. The lovable (if admittedly dim) Okayasu. Entering the living room he found the taller teen marvelling at a large flatscreen currently showing a rather lewd act between some willing (hopefully paid well) participants.
"O-okayasu !" Koichi yelled his face lighting up red
"I know right " Okayasu smiled "The Tv's got a BILLION channels, its awesome"
Marching over to the flat screen he promptly turned it off causing his friends face to drop like a stone.
"Okayasu ! The Speedwagon Foundation is renting this house, paying our bills and even giving us a allowance of $500 dollars a month for us to find out where all this 'strange behaviour' is coming from around here, not to watch...that"
The taller boys face crinkled "Watch what ?"
Feeling his cheeks go full nuclear the spiky haired blonde glared slightly at his house-mate "You know what I mean"
"OOOOOH you mean THAT, nah never cared much for it myself" he said shrugging his shoulders as he flopped into the houses leather sofa.
"Then why was it on !"
"Well" Okayasu began "You know what they say, Americans always have that kind of stuff behind some kind of ultra-expensive pay-service, so if we got that we've got EVERYTHING"
His eye twitching slightly Koichi sighed and sat down next to his friend. "You know for a guy who thinks he's stupid you can be surprisingly smart"
"Thanks man"
The two teens burst into laughter at the sheer silliness of the whole situation. First time away from home and here they were arguing about foreign tv !
"Anyway" Okyasu said wiping the tears that had sprouted in his eyes "The way I see it is we've only been in America two days and here one day, how are we going to find anything without settling in first ? ". Koichi nodded, perhaps he was getting a little uptight about all this ? It just felt like the first big responsibility in his life though and he wanted it to go well he'd hate to let Mister Kujo, Rohan and all the Speedwagon people down.
"Anyway is it just me or does it still feel weird to speak English ?" grumbled Okayasu pulling at his lips and tongue slightly whilst mouthing out various words.
Koichi thought for a second, he'd have to be tactful here. Okayasu had had dismal scores when it came to English back at home whereas he had been fairly proficient prior to their trip, not exactly a native but certainly enough to get directions and order food. It had saved so much time and energy on this trip for their friend Rohan --although that term was a tad stretched for Josuke-- to utilize his Stand 'Heavens Door' to implant the ability to speak perfect --if accent-less-- English in their minds.
"A little, but Rohan did say we'd feel a bit weird at first"
"I just hope he didn't go through with that little threat he made" Okayasu chuckled reclining.
Koichi winced at the memory, as per usual Rohan and Josuke had gotten into an argument over something trivial and the Mangaka had revealed that he'd placed an extra 'command' in Josuke along with his English skills, according to the older man whenever a certain word was spoken Josuke would immediately be compelled to ruin his famous pompadour. Whether or not it was true only Rohan knew, what Koichi did know was that it had taken a full hour to stop a fight erupting between them all whilst Mister Kujo glared at them in the airport lobby. For a world famous marine biologist he was a very scary man.
A sudden crack of metal on wood drew Koichi out of his memory as their front door was closed. Entering their living room cradling his helmet in his arms was the 'leader' of their little group Josuke 'Jojo' Higashikata clad in biker leathers and a broad smile.
" I may have a lead guys "
Fabulous, stylish, elegant, ladylike, bored. These were all words that currently described Rarity. The first day of a new week at Canterlot High and she was bored out of her skull. She tried to like History, she really did, but White Lightning was such a uninspiring teacher even if she meant well. Why go on about all the awful wars and their drab uniforms when they could be working on the Renaissance ? All the wonderful ruffles and masks flew through her mind in a kaleidoscope of color and she immediately begun doodling some basic outlines for a new outfit for herself, something retro yet modern, perhaps with one of those garishly beaked masks ? They were a tad intimidating but had a certain forcefulness about them she liked.
She wished she could design more and had in fact intended to yesterday but Fluttershy had called for an emergency meeting via text for them all. Upon arriving the shy girl had regaled them with a unnerving story of how her pet Rabbit Angel (whom had been trying to nibble on her $100 shoes at the time) had been knocked down by a motorcycle only to be miraculously cured by the rider a 'handsome stranger'. It sounded awfully romantic to her but then she realized not everyone had her taste, the glares they gave her more then indicative of that when she expressed her admiration for the act. The idea had been thrown around that this was another traveller from 'Equestria' (Sunsets homeland wherein both she and their errant friend Twilight were magical ponies) but their newest friend shut that down instantly. Apparently the portal wouldn't be opening for a very long time.
They then floated the ideas that he was some kind of 'monster' (Rainbow Dash), a Wizard (Pinkie Pie) or even some kind of 'Gosh darned miracle worker' (Applejack). Fluttershy however seemed to think he was neither a base creature or the second coming so that had only left a human magic user. Their bout with Sunset at the Fall Formal HAD caused some kind of magic effect through 'The Magic of Friendship' so who was to say there wasn't someone else who could access that kind of power ? Sunset was unconvinced but then no one really knew what to make of it. The only plan of action they could come up with was to look out for any 'weird stuff' as Rainbow put it. Nothing had come up yet so far.
Midway through designing the petticoat she felt an elbow slam into her ribs, grimacing the purple haired teen glared at her desk-neighbour. "What IS it Rainbow Dash I’m making magic here" she whispered.
The rainbow haired girl had a cocky smile on her face and pointed at the glowering teacher. "If your quite done with your doodling Miss Rarity I have an announcement to make !"
Feeling her cheeks burn she sunk into her seat aware of Rainbows hearty chuckling at her misfortune. "You can be quiet as well Miss Dash, unless you want your latest paper 'Why the Spartans were awesome' to have a twenty percent lower grade hmmm ?". Satisfied that the entire class were now silent and paying attention White Lightning began.
"Now as you know class Canterlot High isn't exactly the biggest or most esteemed of schools out there, unlike say Crystal Prep" at the sound of the schools name a hearty booing began only to be silenced by the teachers raised hand. "As I was saying, we aren't exactly the biggest and best school, in some ways the same could be said of our little town, everyone knows everyone else and its all a little bit mundane" Rarity would personally disagree but then again not many remembered the exact details of the Fall Formal. "However injecting a bit of new blood and hopefully some new and exciting times into our school are three students all the way from Japan, Morioh Town so please give them all a big welcome !"
Rarities interest piqued at the word Japan. Whilst she was aware of the phrase 'Our Culture Is Not A Costume' she had to admit the costumes WERE very pretty and she'd pilfered the odd design idea here and there, nothing religious thankfully she hated all those tacky Bindis some of the girls would wear on festival outings. She expected perhaps some girls wearing a sailor outfit or young men wearing leathers. What she got blew her out of the water.
Filing in with a lackadaisical air about him was a tall teen with a rather roguish looking hairstyle alternately shaved and dyed in areas. He had a kindly looking face with a wide smile and two peculiar birthmarks across his face forming a curved X. Complimenting this was a simple dark uniform with wide legged trousers that had been modified multiple times covered in several medallions and symbols as well as the words 'Trillion' and 'Billion' on the arms. He waved politely before giving a thumbs up.
"Hey there, names Okayasu Nijjimura, nice to meet you" the teen said in perfect accent-less English.
Following in next was the shortest Sixteen year old guy she'd ever seen. Unlike the prior student his outfit was completely unmodified, being simple and efficient. He had a boyish face that seemed to radiate honesty, other then his height his only other unusual feature was his rather spiky blonde hair which had been combed back into some semblance of order.
"Good morning everyone. I'm Koichi Hirose" he punctuated his statement with a more traditional Bow compared to his friends simple wave.
"So these were the first two wheres the las-" began Rarity before her vision suddenly went pink.
Entering the room was the most handsome guy she'd ever seen. If she had a Chaise Longue she'd have swooned. Her heart beat sped up and sweat formed on her palms. His face (Gorgoeus!) was open and inviting, complimented by somewhat feminine lips (So Kissable! ), his uniform was --like his countrymen-- dark and simple albeit modified extensively with even more medallions then Okayasu including a golden heart (So Cute ! ) and an Anchor as well as partially unzipped revealing his broad tall form. There was also something strangely appealing about the most unusual thing in his appearance, his hair. It had been worked into a well groomed pompadour (So Retro!) with a lot of love and attention if the amount of product she spied was correct.
In short Rarity was in love.
"Hello everyone, I'm Josuke Higashikata but if you have any trouble with it just call me Jojo, all my friends do" he let off a cheesy smile followed by wrapping his arms around both Koichi and Okayasu.
"Me and my buddies here are looking forward to our time in America and Canterlot. We hope to learn alot and make alot of new friends"
"You and me both" thought Rarity.
Today had just gotten both better and worse in Rainbow Dash's humble opinion. On the plus side of things these new guys from Japan had taken a chunk out of the lesson which she was VERY glad about. History wasn't exactly her strong suit though to be fair not much classic 'academia' was, her low grades being held at a passable level due to the aid of her friends and their weekly study sessions. There was also the fact that there were now three new opponents (well two technically, the shrimpy guy looked a tad underwhelming) for her sporting activities and if her memory was correct Japan followed in several of the same sports she excelled in. On the negative side however....
She glanced at Rarity who in turn was 'subtly' watching the now seated Jojo. The fashionista appeared to be ignoring the droning of White Lightning in favor of making 'wuvvy duvvy' eyes at her new beau and occasionally sketching mushy looking hearts around overly looped variants of their names. Rainbow sighed. She'd seen it all before, whilst not exactly friends at that point --thanks to the machinations of their newest reformed friend Sunset Shimmer-- she'd heard about Rarities epic crush on that Blueblood guy and had seen how much of a 'prince' he'd been at the previous years fall formal doubling the humiliation her friend had to suffer. Losing both the crown and dealing with that jerk must of been hard. It was kind of funny actually, at the time she thought that she'd deserved it for being such a snobby stuck up bitch but now she felt a deep level of pain for her friend.
Gah, she hated it when she got all mushy.
Soon enough the lesson ended, not fast enough for the bright haired girls personal taste but quick enough to be bearable. Letting out a Big Mac sized yawn she stood up and lightly stretched before turning to her compatriot.
"So Rarity wanna...meet...up..with-"
She was talking to thin air. Whilst a good eighty percent of the class had filtered out for the hours lunch break there was a group leftover doing what was natural for the inquisitive and grilling the new arrivals about their homeland, life and what kind of baked goods they liked (the last coming from that bubbly girl with odd eyes she'd heard about occasionally, famous for her klutziness). The short one (Koy-chi ?) seemed to be doing all the talking though whilst the taller duo simply chilled in the background occasionally throwing out a yes/no . Included in that inquisitive group (and inching closer to Jojo by the second) was Rarity doing her best to use her 'feminine charms' to attract the males attention. She sighed lightly, her friends could be so embarrassing some times !
Taking a deep breath Rainbow Dash knew there was only one option. To dive in and save her friend from herself.
Elbowing through three of her classmates she reached the core trio huddled near a window with 'The Element Of Generosity' (as Twilight had called her) being very 'generous' with how much eyelid fluttering and leg she was attempting to show. Rainbow internally face palmed, the girl would be pretty irritated when she realized how foolish she was being all for some stupid boy. Just as she was about to wrangle her friend and make a hasty excuse followed by a quick exit she was caught by one of them.
"That's some awesome hair you got" this came from the tall slim one (Okyazzu ?) who had a laid back expression on his face.
"Uhh...thanks ?" she really wasn't used to compliments on her appearance. Being awesome at stuff yeah but on how she looked ? Not so much.
"I gotta question if you don’t mind" the Japanese youth asked a pensive look on his face.
Feeling put out as her plan disintegrated around her she nodded numbly noticing Rarity practically plastering herself over the now somewhat perturbed Jojo.
"....What's the food like around here ? I haven't been able to find any decent Italian places or fishmongers in the entire city !"
"I have to agree with Okayasu here, its hard to make anything with half the ingredients missing" said Koichi pausing midway through explaining what the Japanese school system was like to his new peers.
Looking at the Asian Laurel and Hardy --and ignoring the now clearly fangirling Rarity who held Jojos hands in hers-- she thought for a moment.
"Well there's a decent Mexican place within a 10 minute walk of here, outside of that and the Supermarkets I wouldn't really know. My family aren't really the restaurant type, more fast food you know ?"
Okayasu nodded sagely "I feel you" he said solemnly treating a simple discussion on food as if it was the wisdom of the ancients. Koichi on the other hand had returned to his discussion this time on the subject of 'Fact and Fiction' regarding Japanese food. She could tell by the slightly weary look on his face what he was thinking 'Americans sure are curious'
Now that the dialogue had petered out (Okayasu had taken out a small pad and begun taking notes in that weird script that the Japanese wrote in) Rainbow prepared to strike !
"We can go there Josuke...and Rainbow dash and your friends of course !" piped in Rarity destroying her friends last attempt at a save from humiliation if Josukes eyes were any indicator of what he thought of the idea. Taking the social hints the remaining classmates abandoned the classroom with haste, things were going to get awkward and the last time romance and Rarity were involved they'd all been nearly drowned in tears and shrill cries the more callous would dub whining.
The pompadoured teen let out an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head lightly "I'll be honest...uh...Rarity was it ? Last time I had Mexican back home it gave me the shits" the Fashionistas face was aghast at how...crude her 'Prince Charming' had just been "Plus I mean your a nice girl and all but I barely know you, a date is a little much eh ?".
Rainbow winced, whilst not the best at 'romantic partings' even she knew that was incredibly blunt. Thus sank the great ship 'Jority'. To Rainbows great shock however the girl held it together remarkably well only letting out a weak smile to hide her disappointment. A small part of her wanted to defend her friends honor but she had to admit she'd been coming on stupidly strong. Even Sunset during her 'evil' phase hadn't been that forward with Flash Sentry ! Koichi and Okayasu looked incredibly uncomfortable however , the taller navel gazing while the shorter was rapidly looking through his school schedule as a distraction.
"Its ok Jojo....I can call you that at least right ?" mumbled Rarity.
Seeing the state the girl was in Josukes formerly strong façade melted "Hey remember what I said ? All my friends can call me Jojo and I'd certainly be honored to have a cute girl like yourself as my friend " He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder "Plus you make clothes right ? Me and the guys here could use some tips for mods and stuff, it'd be great if you could help" with another bright smile and a thumbs up Josuke then ambled out followed by his friends both of whom gave --the currently drowning in awkwardness-- Rainbow Dash a knowing look as they left as if to say 'Its as awkward for us as it is for you'.
Placing an arm around the purple haired girl whom was standing resolute with her eyes closed and fists balled Rainbow Dash leaned inwards to a friendly embrace
"You going to be Ok Rarity ?"
With a sudden snap she exploded out of the embrace, raising her arms to the heavens in a victorious pose.
"He called me cute !"
Slapping her hand to her face in exasperation she grabbed the girls hand and dragged her out to the rapidly diminishing lunch break ignoring her ramblings of 'merely a setback, with time I'll prove I can be both a friend and a great potential girlfriend !' as well as the various ways she could make it up to the boy without 'being a tramp'.
These guys were going to be trouble.
One hearty packed lunch (homemade of course, Koichi was a wonder in the kitchen even with the limited supplies they could find here in the USA) followed by a light doze out on the high-schools fields later and Okayasu was ready for round two with the odd --yet endearing-- new high school system. As much as he disliked school he had to admit this place was 'cool'. Everyone seemed fairly happy and free of infighting, class divide and 'stupid bullshit' (as his beloved brother had often called it) that permeated their old school. He was still boggled at the lack of classroom clean up or class reps but rolled with it. He'd seen enough weird stuff in his time that something like that was just a curiosity.
Wandering back across the field to CHS he smiled lightly remebering the heated discussion the three of them had started regarding that Rarity girl. She was definitly cute he had to admit, hell cute was a little insulting she was gorgeous. Problem was she was alittle...eh...'intense' for him at least and Jojo defintly agreed. Though he'd questioned him on WHY he'd called her cute after trying to brush her off, that wouldn't help in the long run if his aim was to dishearten her. 'Course he wasn't the greatest with girls personally but he knew that much even if he wasn't the smartest guy around. Koichi had pitched in as well of of course with his usual sensible advice but as much as Okayasu loved the little guy he couldn't help but be wary about advice from a guy in a relationship with a girl who'd tried to kill him.
Love was weird.
Entering the main building he brushed past the crowds, looking around on occasion and soaking up all the different styles and types of people. The school was certainly varied. There was something deeper to his gaze however, Okayasu was on a mission.
"Look for the girl with pink hair' he murmured to himself as he ambled down a hallway technically on his way to Biology. It was all part of their plan since Josuke had forgotten to get the girls name after saving her pet. The fact that she thought Crazy Diamond was 'magic' added extra interest to their investigation, since according to Mister Kujo unaware Stand users often attributed their abilities to 'magic', 'luck' or some kind of 'miracle'. What info they'd been given in the phone-book thick report seemed to insist that weird stuff was going on all over the town but had originated from this high-school, so the fact that a 'magic' high school girl could see (and thus most likely had) a Stand ticked a lot of their little groups boxes. He and Jojo had a bet running on whether or not she was behind it all.
Those Junko shoes would be his dammit !
Reaching a set of stairs for the second floor (home to most of the science and art based classes) Okayasu paused and pulled a school map out of his pocket, he and the others had been given the full tour earlier in the day by the Principals (Celestia seemed nice even if she was the tallest women he'd ever seen in his life, Luna was...a bit scary to be honest, she seemed tired as well but when Josuke asked she brushed it off as a 'all nighter with paperwork') but he wanted to be sure, one thing he hated was getting lost, then late and then forced to do water-bucket duty....then again they probably didn't do that he-
Cut off mid thought the teen was practically bowled over by a pink blur rushing past him and up the stairs, grumbling to himself he stood upright only to get knocked over once more, the unfortunate Okayasu and his assailant being the only ones left in the hallway due to the imminent classes.
"Oi Oi watch where your going" he yelled at the girl, herself grumbling as she picked up the scattered contents of her loose shoulder bag and odd pointy hat from the floor. He scanned the prone girl quickly. Nice legs, platinum blonde (practically white) hair and a purple/blue dress combo.
"The great and powerful Trixie requires no glasses and knows exactly where shes going !" the girl emoted, ramming her hat on her head furiously "It is YOU new boy who needs glasses"
Okayasu sighed, why were the cute ones always crazy ?
"I wasn't the one running around bumping into people, eh Witch-girl ?"
He smirked as the girls eye practically tic'd at the name.
"What did you call Trixie !"
"Weeeeell" he began sidling up to her before patting her signature head-gear lightly "when you wear a hat like that the shoe fits eh ?"
The Great and Powerful Trixie seemed to fume for a few seconds before simply turning her back on Okayasu, nose indignantly held in the air.
"Trixie doesn't have time for meaningless prattle with new people in need of eyewear, she has to catch up with Pinkie Pie and discuss important matters regarding party-plans" with that the girl rushed off up the stairs.
Shrugging lightly Okayasu returned to his map carefully scanning it for a few seconds. He had the feeling he was forgetting something but wasn't sure what. What was it ? What could it be? Was i-
"PINK HAIR SHIT !"
Stuffing the map back in his pocket the youngest Speedwagon Agent in history ran up three flights of stairs after his pink blur, if his instincts were correct she'd probably be out of his sight....but Witch-girl said she was looking for a 'Pinkie Pie' and what would be the chances that that was his brightly maned target ? His gut told him it was the right move and he trusted it far more then his head. He caught a glimpse of Witch-girl going up a set of stairs to the left of the hallway where the Science rooms were and followed, a small part of him was sure they weren't on the map but his feet said otherwise.
After what felt like an eternity of endless stairs going ever higher he managed to catch up with Witch-girl only to notice something weird.
Well weird beyond his Pink blur being a bouncy, hyperactive, fuzzy haired girl currently dancing around Trixie talking about 'balloons and cake and parties and ooh a new person !'.
Ignoring this 'Pinkie Pie' he focused.
The entire 'area' had simply ceased to be, instead of stairs, railings, windows and beams of light it was nothing but inky blackness somehow illuminated. It was as if they were stuck inside a cube of pure darkness and only he self professed 'Idiot Niijimura' seemed to notice as Pinkie Pie was too busy babbling to him whilst Witch-girl was too busy writing in a book entitled 'Stage Plans'.
What was it Mister Kujo said in these situations ? Oh yeah.
"Yare Yare Daze"
Do. Not. Panic. Take your time and think.
These were the words his level headed Older Brother would often instill in him during tough times, be it their father going on a rampage, seemingly incalculable horrors of homework or even upon the manifestation of his stand. Too bad he wasn't very good at them. Especially when-
"Oooh neato look what I can do !"
he had a hyper girl wearing a ton of pink doing things that even by his loose understanding of physics shouldn't be possible. In this case Pinkie Pie --with a surprising amount of grace-- cartwheeled off into the seemingly infinite blackness that they (himself, Pinkie Pie and Witch-Girl) were seemingly trapped in all whilst letting out a squeal of joy...only to reappear behind him one second later. Flabbergasted was an understatement.
"How'd you do that ?"
His only response was a wide eyed smile from the exuberant girl before she began rummaging in her backpack, snacking on the various sweets and treats nestled within.
Trixie shrugged and placed her book back in her shoulder-bag "Trixie has known Pinkie Pie for several years and has yet to understand it. Though a shadowy realm is a new touch. Trixie must stea.....'borrow' this idea for her stage show"
Looking up momentarily from her gorging the fluffy haired girl (face covered in a veritable rainbow of cupcake frosting) shot a perplexed look at Trixie. "Me ?"
"Err yeah you" Okayasu felt distinctly like he was missing something
"Oh I didn't do any of this Trixie, nope I'm pretty good at parties and pranks or even prankies but creepy shadow rooms that defy the known order ? Nope not one of mine"
If it had been another time the younger Nijimura may have relished the look of confusion and discomfort on Witch-Girls face. Now though all he felt was a cold tingle across his spine. They were trapped and if Pinkies little routine had proved anything then this place seemed to go on forever. He'd tried contemplating infinity once when he was younger after his Bro had joined a amateur philosophy after school club and threw some of their ideas at him. He'd had a headache for eight hours straight.
Speaking of headaches he could feel one coming on at the moment...and he felt a tad tired. The girls weren't looking so great either, Witch-girl was going a light shade of green whilst even Pinkie had slowed down a tad, merely bouncing once every five or so seconds instead of two. The girls were currently in conference with each other presumably trying to figure out what was going on while he stood around looking like a big dumb idiot.
"No different then usual then" he thought before shaking off his funk literally, his teeth rattling.
"You ok Josuke ?" squeaked Pinkie looking away from Trixie whom she was currently embracing, the wannabe entertainer not taking their imprisonment and current bout of bad health well.
"Names Okayasu not Josuke" he bristled slamming his thumb into chest.
"Oppsy Doopsy, sorry 'bout that. I heard there was a new foreign student with funny hair and your hair is just zany amazing !" even when apologizing the girl seemed chipper.
"Good thing Josuke didn't hear that" he thought remembering the epic beat-downs the usually peaceful boy gave on anyone, normal or Stan-
Of course !
How could he be so stupid ! This must be an enemy Stands ability !
Focusing the boy glared at the girls. This thing must be pretty short ranged if it was this powerful. That's how it worked right ? The stronger it was the closer the user and defying time/space tended to be pretty high up on the list strength wise. So that left himself (The Hand) and these two girls. Trixie was in a bad way ( now hunched up to her knees on the floor visibly shivering) but could be faking it, he'd seen Stands that hurt the user to work themselves....then again he was after a pink haired girl who was a Stand user. He felt his fists itch for action and was very tempted to go for the 'Otoishi Special' as Josukes Dad had dubbed it, he'd have to drop any mercy though and try to knock both of them out quickly lest they move in for the kill, this could have been a random accident but any user with this malicious a Stand tended to be pretty nasty themselves so he felt a bit more at peace. Not only that but with his energy rapidly diminishing --a nap felt really good right about now-- he'd have to be brutal.
Stepping forward he readied himself ice in his heart, Pinkie was now on her knees comforting the stricken barely conscious Trixie although the formerly fluffy haired girl was looking quite worse for wear herself, her complexion was pale and her hair limp and straight.
"H-h-ey Okayasu...I'm c-cold...and s-s-sad...do you k-know any j-j-jokes ?" the look on her face, full of concern, hope and trust followed by the way that (even in her sad state) she tended to her fallen schoolmate melted the glacier he'd placed on his emotions. He couldn't do it.
"Goddammit !" it was a soft mutter but it felt like a million ton weight to the teen. He slowly removed his modded jacket, revealing his lean vested form beneath. Kneeling he placed the fabric over the two girls. "It's not much but it'll keep you going for a little while longer ok ?"
Even now icy cold and white as the grave the girl managed to let off a million watt smile "T-t-thanks"
Do. Not. Panic. Take your time and think.
He focused and 'felt' the room. It was a little trick Stand users could do, they could 'sense' other users. Not accurately enough to pick one out of a crowd though, merely well enough to know if there was one in the crowd. He got zilch. Nada. Nothing.
This wasn't a Stand.
The thought terrified him, a Stand he could deal with, Ghosts yup, even crazy serial killers were an uncomfortable familiarity. This ? Unexplainable and unique. Coupled with the way his head was swimming as if he'd been drinking for a few hours and his limbs were cold and stiff he could tell which way the wind was blowing. He was in big trouble.
"Y-Yo Pi-nkie....do you-" the girls were unconscious however, their breaths short and on the wrong end of the fast/slow spectrum for his liking.
"F-fuck" he growled "I'm g-g-onna die in s-s-ome weird c-c-ube 'o darkness 'cause i'm too fucking dumb to figure out how to get out" the teen fell to his knees, the cool floor seeming very inviting at that moment.
"Wh-h-y can't I be s-smart like Koichi or Josuke 'eh, n-no i'm just Okayasu 'Dumbass' Nijjimura" he could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes, not exactly befitting the 'Street punk' image he'd worked so hard in his youth to obtain but at this point and time he didn't really care. Death was upon him and he'd go out however he damn well felt like it.
"Don't be so negative Okayasu"
The teens head snapped up , even in his lethargic and hypothermic state he could instantly identify his Brothers voice. Was this like last time ? On the edge of death only to be saved by his brothers advice from the Afterlife ? Or was it just a hallucination brought on by whatever this weird thing was ? It didn't matter though, it gave Okayasu the drive he needed !
"I'm Okayasu Nijimura you shitty fucking cube, I'll die on my own time !"
Rage pulsated through him as he got to his feet and slowly grabbed the girls by the scruff of their collars, he'd have one shot at this and didn't want to hurt them.
"THE HAND !"
His stand rapidly exited him, it's silvery humanoid form covered in dark pads whilst its eyes glowed a deep yellow held back by blinkers. It's right hand, the source of its power, twitched manically.
"GO !"
The stand circled it's user rapidly, frenziedly slashing at everything in sight with it s right hand, globs of darkness seemingly being erased and returning in seconds. It's pace grew faster and faster quickly becoming akin to a whirlwind around the flagging Okayasu.
"Come on.....come on"
He couldn't even see it anymore so quick was its movements, all he could make out was a silvery blur and the shredding of their dark cage. However as fast as it was disappearing the sheer endlessness of it seemed to fill up whatever was lost, the few beams of sunlight that made it through were quickly drowned out. He had one trick left though.
"Now !"
With a flourish that would make even the greatest of ice-skaters pause and take note the Stand halted, lowering its powerful namesake to the floor and began rotating around the three teens. If the darkness only went forever in a straight line both up and out then surely....
The students at Canterlot High School noticed two things happening simultaneously at Two Forty-Five PM. The first --and most obvious-- incident was a circular chunk of the second floor Science Room hallway mysteriously separating itself from said floor and crashing into the floor below it almost injuring several students although one of the newest arrivals (male) and two regulars (female) both of whom had been standing on said chunk as it fell were reported as suffering from severe fatigue, shock and several scrapes from their encounter, a lucky escape thought many. The second --and much less reported-- incident was an audible popping noise occurring seconds before the accident ensued.
When inquired by Emergency services on how such a thing happened the Male teen was reported as saying "Hey don't ask me, i'm a dumbass"
Eyes flashed bright white in a room hidden within CHS. Someone had destroyed one of their traps ! How was it possible ? A simple time/space distortion on the second floor should have held them until it harvested the magic this whole town was dusted in (and in a case of six particular students were dripping with) of course it also drained life energy but that was a poor substitute at best and intentionally non lethal.
Murders on school grounds led to snooping and snooping led to more murders. It was a vicious cycle and one that they could not be dealing with in their condition.
Growling lightly they balled their fists. It was impossible to tell who had been taken and subsequently destroyed the anomaly, whatever energy was harvested would have been snapped back to its owners upon its destruction. The only draw back to such a complex maneuver. Without said energy not only had they lost a meal but also any attempt at identification.
Fuming they sat back in the sole item of furniture in the room, a plush chair.
They'd have to be more careful now.
Omake : Trixies Bizarre Boyfriend
Bed rest, plenty of water and streaming television were the Doctors orders for 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' post the....weird incident with the black room. It felt like a dream and yet she was sure it wasn't. Utterly surreal. She'd actually felt perfectly fine after an hour in the hospital but the staff and her parents were cautious to say the least. Who was she to say no to a free day off from School ?
Giggling lightly at the antics on the screen she shifted on her bed, the starry pattern of the covers crumpling. It matched the rest of her room covered in astrological and 'mystical' signs as well as nick nacks relating to her eventual goal of becoming a great stage magician including her most prized possession, a autographed picture of Harry Houdini. Her parents had given it to her for her Fifteenth birthday and she'd cried in sheer joy. Some said that her parents were rich obnoxious jerks who didn't care for her ("Fuck you social services !") but at heart they knew what made their daughter tick and whilst not entirely approving of her possible career choice couldn't ignore how passionate she was about stage-craft.
"Come on Clover we've gotta save Firefly from the Ahgg!" squeaked the Tv. A smile burst across Trixies face, she loved this part. She'd seen the entire show several times before (it had been a core part of her Childhood hence her joy at its sudden appearance on Webfilm) but it never ceased to make her happy when she was feeling down. Only one other thing had the same quality....
"Shit" she mumbled putting the show on pause, she'd forgotten in all the fuss to contact him.
Pulling out a OrangeDon laptop she logged onto her SpaceTome account, ignoring the few updates from Fuschia Blush and Lavender Lace (her...only friends) she moved straight to the messenger. He wouldn't be upset would he ? They usually contacted each other once or twice a day and she was terrified that things could go badly, even with how pretty she was she still had trouble with boys. Apparently she had an 'attitude' whatever that meant. But this guy......
He was everything she ever wanted. He was interested in her (amateur) work, having 'met' initially through comments on her Mybox video channel showcasing some of her tricks and odd musical performance 'The Illusions' did on the side, rich (stupidly so if the pictures of his home, designer clothes and friends on his account said anything), hot in a slim kind of way, older (only by a year) a perfect gentleman and exotically foreign to boot. She felt like the protagonist of one of those trashy Romance novels she used to read. Whilst Fushchia had warned her about being 'catfished' like she'd been ("Sombra was a scrawny jerk and had a neckbeard !") the first time they'd video-called had allayed any fears though.
Anxiously she typed into the messenger
Grt&pwrfl16 - Afternoon babe, I'm REALLY sorry I didn't message yesterday
A gnawing pit formed in Trixies stomach, he was online she could tell from his profile AND he'd seen the message. Why wasn't he responding ? Had he gone off her ?
Goldexp17 - .......
The pit dissipated in an instant replaced by butterflies. He was typing !
Goldexp17 - Buon pomeriggio baby, it's ok, we're not joined at the hip or anything, we've all got our own lives lol :D
Whatever worries she had simply floated away, everything was as it should be.
Grt&pwrfl16 - Hows your day been then baby ?
Goldexp17 - Work work work, I may be the boss of the company but you can never leave early. I try to get out and they just pull me back in.
That was another thing, Seventeen years old and the boss of his Families company. Apparently his Father had passed away when he was young and it had been in the hands of some asshole until he'd gotten old enough to take over two years ago. Europe had some weird laws. Either way it was hideously successful from what she gathered, something to do with Business ownership and Casinos. Maybe he was some kind of magnate like that old guy who bought out Trump back a few years ago, Joe...star was it ?
Goldexp17 - What about you though eh ? What kept you from my magnificent presence hehe
Explaining her absence hadn't crossed her mind in the hurry to contact him. She wasn't sure whether to lie or not. Everyone on the school group thought she was crazy or attention seeking when she'd tried telling them. The worst was that bitch Berry Punch saying SHE of all people had been drunk when it happened. A girl overdoes it at one house party and she gets a reputation. Then again honesty was a good policy for relationships....or so she'd heard. It didn't seem to matter to her parents though.
Grt&pwrfl16 - It's a bit difficult to explain babe, I don't want you to think I'm crazy or anything. Everyone else does :(
Goldexp17 - Then they can go jump in a fire. On my word babe I wont think your crazy and you know me and my word.
Grt&pwrfl16 -- "All i have in this world is my friends and my word and I don't break either of them"
Goldexp17 - I've been using that too often lol
Grt&pwrfl16 - A little lol
She paused and took a deep breath. It was unnecessary and theatrical but she'd admit to being a show-off.
Grt&pwrfl16 - I was walking up the stairs on the way to science class and got stuck in some weird cube of darkness like I was in a video game or something. It was me that Pinkie girl I was telling you about last time and some new exchange student from Japan. When I was in it I got weaker and weaker, it was so weird. I passed out in the end only for the floor to somehow give away freeing us. The schools blaming the floor on 'structural weakness' but that's bullshit. No one believes me though :(
There was an incredibly uncomfortable period of time between her post and his, for a few seconds she honestly believed she'd ruined everything.
Goldexp17 - Could you explain it again in more detail please Trixie.
This was unusual to say the least. He only called her Trixie when he was serious (which was rare from their conversations), usually it was some kind of pet name. Shrugging she typed in everything she could remember from the start of the incident to her eventual awakening in the hospital from 'shock'.
Goldexp17 - Buy some expensive clothes Baby, I'll be there in a week. Ciou.
GOLDEXP17 HAS LOGGED OFF
Her jaw dropped. They'd occasionally discussed meeting up at some point in the future (her parents didn't even KNOW about him) but he'd been a little distant about it, always putting dates further back. She never asked why out of fear of driving him away. The feeling of shock though faded replaced by giddy excitement. Her hot, rich boyfriend was FINALLY coming to see her ! Oh those girls at school would rue the day they called her 'Dateless Lunamoon'.
Over five thousand miles away a young man cracked his knuckles.
Giorno Giovanna, was usually a calm man. Unlike his predecessor he wasn't liable to violent rages and it helped with 'business'. Anger was never well suited to large scale criminal organisations things tended to get sloppy that way. Some Stand user was messing with his girl though.
Time to gather the boys (although the lone girl disliked that term) and deal with it.
It had been two days since the mysterious incident with the science hall stairs --dubbed 'structural weakening' by the Staff even if Insurance companies refused to acknowledge it as such-- and the school had returned to normal more or less. Well as normal as a Friday is for high-school students looking forward to the impending weekend. Even the Principals seemed relieved at two days off after such a unusual week, Celestia in particular had been getting rather snappy and aggressive giving out Detentions for even minor afflictions towards the rules. Vinyl Scratch seemed to suffer from nigh-endless punishment thanks to her music addiction but the girl didn't seem to care, it gave her more time to work out how she could upgrade her car. Modifying motor vehicles and Dj'ing were the girls two major passions.
Gathered in their usual spot in the Cafeteria were the only ones who knew what was truly going on and why their teachers were so stressed. One Former-Alpha-bitch-and-technically-a-magical-talking-pony and her five (magical) girlfriends. It was like something out of those weird backwards reading comics Rainbow Dash read. Stirring her mashed potatoes idly the former top student of Princess Celestia sighed. God she could do with some Hay.
"So lets go over this one more time Pinkie Pie".
The fluffy haired girl nodded enthusiastically, she never got tired of anything be it retelling this story, bouncing around or baking. It was a tad unnerving and she'd met Party Ponies before calmer then this girl.
"I ran up a weird new set of stairs I found thinking they'd lead to somewhere super-neat.......like a secret class that only the top students would take or something and since really smart people dont tend to party alot I thought i'd cheer them up an-".
"Important part Pinkie get to the important part !" growled Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of Pizza slamming her fist on the table lightly. She was on edge too though for a different reason. The girl hated feeling weak and useless and whatever this was could do both, adding in that it had gone for one of HER friends. Not cool.
"Well" began Pinkie the rest of the girls mixed between rapt attention and eating (or demolishing in the case of Rainbow Dash) their lunch. "The stairs seemed to go on foreeeeeeeeeeeever, I didn't know at the time but Trixie was following me since she wanted some party tips".
Applejack snorted into her juice "That girl wanting help..... more like she wanted to tell you how darn 'awesome' she was".
"Anyway turns out Trixie wasn't following me alone Okuyasu was behind her an-"
"Oooh was Jojo there" piped up Rarity, her salad at the wayside.
Sunset glowered at the girl who sunk into her chair. "He's one of the new exchange students from Neighpon right ?".
"Umm...actually its called Nippon here Sunset" whispered Fluttershy unused to seeing their now 'reformed' friend being this serious, the last time she'd seen this much focus on the girls face she'd been thrown in a locker "Though that was more in the past they use the name Japan now".
"Thanks Fluttershy" grunted Sunset as she mentally noted it down. She'd been in the Human world for about a year now and was still learning the details everyday. Twilight would love it.
"Yeah and he and his friends wear those super-cool uniforms all dark and mysterious like Ratman 'Grrr I'll stop you Mane-iac....my parents are deeeeeaaaaadd!' " quoted Pinkie giving out an unusually low baritone for such a squeaky girl.
"Girls focus for bucks sake !" growled Sunset slamming both her hands on the table.
The five girls looked at Sunset, shock etched on their faces.
"Are you....ok Sugarcube ?" Applejack inquired cautiously.
"Honestly ?"
"It's the best policy darlin' " nodded the farm girl.
"No i'm not ok. I'm the magical expert. I'm from the word overflowing with the stuff. Tartarus i'm a damn unicorn and a student of an immortal mage-queen !" she muttered "Yet...I can't figure this out. There's some weird wizard wandering around Canterlot and now some kind of dark magic is popping up and stealing peoples energy and their probably connected and to be one hundred percent honest....I think this may be my fault".
"Oh darling please how can this ever be your fault" soothed Rarity, one perfectly manicured hand placed onto Sunset in a display of camaraderie.
"I dont know" she mumbled "Its just the last time I felt magic as dark as this was when...when-"
"You became a raging she-demon ?" Rainbow Dash interjected as subtle as a brick to the skull.
Wincing slightly the leather clad girl turned away "Yeah".
The girls were uncomfortably silent for a moment before a chair was pushed back with a light screech, its owner standing and pointing at the athletic girl.
"Now Rainbow that was rude !" Fluttershy said her usual hushed tone replaced by steel "Sunset Shimmer is our friend ! That was the old Sunset, the mean Sunset not our friend. Our friend was the one who helped you with your Math homework or gave you a lift to Soccer practice when you missed your bus !" the girl once deemed 'most likely to get mugged by kittens' was on the attack "This is our friend and you've made her feel bad !"
Tears formed in the usually laid back girls eyes "Yeah..i'm sorry Sunset I was a jerk".
Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one to get teary, all the girls had begun to cry at Fluttershy's unusually passionate outburst.
"Thats ok Rainbow" sniffed Sunset before all the girls spontaneously hugged.
"Friends forever" they cried giggling lightly amidst the tears. Sitting back down again to their meals they began to clean themselves up Sunset clearing her eyes with a tissue handed out by the ever prepared Applejack.
"Ok then" she began a weak smile on her face "Lets go over this one more time....."
" So hows my number one son doing then eh ?" the voice was hoarse with age and had a slight New York accent.
Josuke sighed down the payphone outside the school "I'm your only son Dad".
"Just a phrase my boy" replied the Seventy-Seven year old Joseph Joestar, Land Baron, Real Estate Magnate and former toast of the town. Even in his age and infirmity (not to mention occasional bouts of senility) he still managed to have a good natured sparkle about him.
"Sure sure" Josuke turned and looked at his friends Koichi and Okuyasu, both currently sitting on the grass and playing some kind of collectible card game. He didn't want to keep them waiting to walk home with him, even if he could take his Motorcycle into school and ride it home again he preferred to walk. It gave him more time with his friends.
"Sooooo hows the mission going" inquired the old man his boundless curiosity obvious.
"I wondered how long it'd take old man".
Josuke could practically 'see' the innocent look on his Fathers face as the septuagenarian chuckled down the phone.
"You called me if you remember boy, don't tell me you forgot i'm supposed to be the senile one after all".
Josuke smiled "Well I was told to check up with my 'Boss' when anything comes up and your the biggest cheese in the Speedwagon Foundation I can get to on short notice".
"Ah so whats up then Josuke, something bizarre ?".
Josuke kicked the concrete lightly, staring across the street at Canterlot High.
"Yeah, some girl seems to think I'm magic-".
"Ohho a girl eh, got that Joestar touch" the Old man rasped in between a minor coughing fit.
"Not like that dad, she could see Crazy Diamond" Josuke mumbled.
"Hmmm interesting, so she's a Stand User.....".
"I'm guessing so, it's not like anything else can see them right ?" the younger man said appealing to his Fathers superior experience in the supernatural.
"Well some animals have been known to be able to react to Stands on occasion but as far as i'm aware no, you managed to get any information from the girl ?"
An embarrassed grin on his face Josuke flushed red " I kinda let her go...I thought me and the guys could get her in school when things didn't look so weird, it WAS five in the morning and I didn't want to be accused of kidnapping or anything".
"I take it you haven't found her then".
"No" grunted Josuke frowning.
"You realize how stupid that was right ? I mean she could go to any school in the area not just yours, people could also have gotten hurt because of her".
His pride stinging Josuke nodded, his Dad was right, he'd been blinded by his own overconfidence.
"Well ?".
"Yeah Dad your right, it was dumb and now something happened".
There was a rustling down the phone, Joseph obviously bristling.
"Goddammit boy I love you but this is not good, I pushed for you and your friends specifically for this mission, if people are hurt this isn't just a tragedy for them but it can come back on us badly".
"What the hell dad !" he knew his Father was a businessman so had some level of ruthlessness in him but this kind of crass lack of empathy was news to the teen.
Joseph sighed "Look Josuke I understand, you agreed to this because you've got a good heart. You want to help people just like I did when I joined the Foundation but when you've been in it as long as I have you end up tangled up in the politics, in this case its regarding us".
"What do you mean".
"Let me put it this was son, there are people in the Speedwagon foundation who would prefer if there were no elements of the supernatural in their ranks even if they get better results then the average person, some of the hardliners have even whispered about possibly killing any new Stand Users instead of recruitment or simple registration with them".
"My god dad that's horrible !".
"Exactly son, Jotaro put a lot of their fears at rest but there are some who think that we're not widespread enough to monitor everything. He's our strongest agent next to...well you technically and if you mess this up then things could get very nasty. Who knows today it could be simply replacing us with ordinary agents, tomorrow it could be a bullet to the head ?".
Shuddering at the thought Josuke became resolute "Don't worry Dad, no one was hurt badly and the school managed to smooth over the damage, no one knows what it was".
"And what was it ?".
"We're....not sure" began Josuke " It sounds like some kind of time/space based Stand, Okuyasu was the one who encountered it but he swears on his brothers grave it wasn't a stand".
"Most peculiar".
"Yeah, I mean the report said this whole town was weird but so far besides the girl and this we haven't noticed anything...could it be something new ?".
Joseph hmm'd and haww'd down the phone for a few seconds "The world is much stranger then anyone can truly understand Josuke, of course you'd know this if you'd read the reports we gave you".
"Its thicker then the phone book!" protested the teen.
"Knowledge is power son, you learn that when you get to my age".
"Yeah your right dad...just it's an awful lot of knowledge for a guy my age"
"Fair point" chuckled Joseph "I remember when I was your age I wouldn't read anything thicker then a newspaper".
"Uhh speaking of reading could you get Rohan to do something with Heavens Door" asked Josuke writing in the dust inside the payphones frame "He gave us the ability to speak English but uh....not to write it, that's gonna be a bit of a pain when it comes to tests, if I didn't know better i'd think he did it on purpose".
"Damn, I don't know if that pompous ass can send his Stand out that far....but my boys got to have an education especially an American one !".
Josuke smirked "Tell him it's an 'opportunity to enlighten the ignorant American public on the greatness of his work' he'd love that".
"Haha that's my boy you know how to play people like a Stradivarius".
"Thanks Dad".
A silent peace followed, both Joseph and himself were still very new to their relationship and it was the little things like that which strengthened them. He wasn't entirely sure but he swore he could hear the old man crying down the phone.
"You ok Dad ?".
"Yeah son, just got a uh frog in my throat" the legendary killer of 'The Ultimate Life form' composed himself his voice taking on as much strength as it could in his infirm state "You need a lead and preferably soon, whilst there's no exact time limit on your mission the Foundation wants some answers on whether or not this is a threat and if its something that can be dealt with, they dont want another Dio on their hands, that Made In Heaven garbage sent chills to my bones boy to tell you the truth, that one man could possibly plan to do what he wanted....."
Josuke nodded somberly, that was one part of the report Koichi had told him. That weird Dio guy had written a journal intricately explaining how using his stand he'd be able to somehow alter all of reality with himself as God. The science behind it was still beyond all of the Paranormal experts at the foundation and they'd had copies of it for several months.
"Don't worry Dad we've got this, I wont let you down".
"I've full confidence in you son, do me proud".
With that the phone call ended.
The six girls were finally leaving School, twenty minutes late thanks to Rainbow Dash forgetting to pick up her Guitar from the music room. Pausing on the entrance for a breathe of the clean fresh air they finally began the walk to their homes thankfully all fairly close.
"So we find this 'Dark Wizard' and beat him up ?" asked Rainbow the strap of her Guitar case digging into her shoulder.
"That sounds rather...crude Rainbow Dash" replied Rarity a frown on her face, her hands were just not made for breaking noses despite what some of the boys said after failed attempts at wooing the fashionista .
"Girls".
"I don't think so Rainbow, he'd probably be able to hold all of us off on his own if my interactions with Dark Magic both here and on Equestria are good for anything" said Sunset
"Darn, I was looking forward to making him pay for what he did to Pinkie Pie" Applejack punctuated her statement with her fist smashing into her palm.
"Umm girls".
"Oh it was alright Applejack besides getting cold and sleepy that is, other then that it was fuuuuuuun, we should try talking to them though, even in the biggest meanie is a nice person looking to get out" Pinkie announced bouncing around the girl in her usual manner.
"Girls could you maybe listen to me".
"Honestly I think our only hope is the Friendship magic that Twilight and you guys used....you do know how to use that right ?" Sunsets asked a mixture of worry and hope on her face.
"GIRLS!" roared Fluttershy.
The five teens looked at their usually quiet and meek friend, she rarely raised her tone unless it was important.
Now all the attention was on her though the poor girl returned to her normal self, shrinking back beneath their gaze.
"Umm...the...the 'Dark Wizard'...he's over there" she pointed at the next street past the concrete sidewalk and onto the grassy field stood the three exchange students.
"Uhh be more specific sugarcube" asked the farmgirl looking at the seemingly normal teens conversing.
"The tall one with the funny hair"
"Not Jojo!" gasped Rarity
"Um yes, I'm positive....thoughhesavedAngelsocanhereallybeaDarkWizard ? mumbled the girl
Rarity fainted, Rainbow Dash growled, Applejack balled her fists, Sunset grimaced.
Pinkie turned and looked seemingly behind them.
"Well isn't that a twist folks !"
Plans and strategies were something of a forte for her, she'd mastered 'social-fu' as some of the snobbier girls at CHS had refereed to it within a matter of weeks. Humanity was very much more ill at ease with themselves and their emotions then Pony-kind and thus easier to read, manipulate and cajole, she wasn't necessarily proud of the fact that she was good at it but it was a skill that even in her newly reformed time had saved her from the odd intimidating situation with the many people she'd wronged.
Which was why Sunset Shimmer was aghast when Rainbow Dash ( a girl she'd pegged as reckless but also generally harmless) dropped her guitar case and practically launched herself at the unsuspecting Jojo, --his back turned to the unseen girls whilst in discussion with his friends-- tackling the boy to the ground.
"I'll teach you to try and hurt my friends you Evil Wizard bastard!" she cried slamming her fists in the fallen teens back. His two friends however rapidly attempted to remove the furious girl only to be held back by her flailing fists. A competent warrior she was not but her sheer anger and energy were making up for what skill couldn't. Despite having over five feet in height and around thirty pounds in weight over the slim (if athletic) girl Jojo seemed to content to continue eating dirt and let the girl attack his unprotected back, either out of fear or perhaps some form of male chivalry she'd heard existed here --What was it Flash had said once....'You never hit a girl even if she's hitting you' or something like that ?-- either way his friends had turned to them since they were unable to remove the girl.
All in all it was a poor showing for a guy that Rarity had been harping on about all day. Doubly so if he was some kind of Dark Wizard, any competent magic user would of not only been able to detect the girls charge but throw her away as if she were an insect.
"What the hell is Rainbow Dash doing !" yelled the shorter of his companions, his hair seemingly rising of its own accord with golden strands defying the neat comb work they'd been given. This must have been the Koichi both Rainbow and Rarity described.
"Being an idiot" mumbled Applejack pulling her hat over her eyes, she'd give it a few more seconds then intervene if Rainbow hadn't worn herself out, that girl was looking for a mighty heap of trouble. It didn't help things that Pinkie had bounded over there alternating between 'removing' Rainbow Dash (a wasted effort) and vehemently apologizing for the girl 'being a big hotheaded meaniepants'. Fluttershy was no good either, her 'stare' might have been able to calm the hotheaded girl from her violent attack but she was too busy attending the unconscious Rarity who --for once-- had actually fainted for real.
Shrugging the taller of the two (definitely Okuyasu from Pinkies escapade in the 'darkness cube' ) had a surprisingly nonchalant look on his face even as his friend was getting rapidly beaten upon "Eh Josuke's a tough guy, he's been in plenty of fights before...not with girls admittedly but as long as she-"
"You think you can hurt my friends with your dark magic you loser, you think your so cool with your weird outfit and your stupid hair !"
Sunset felt a pit open up in her stomach if the looks on the boys faces meant what she thought it did.
"I'd tell Pinkie Pie to back away quick if I were you" was her only explanation from Okuyasu.
Things were about to get bad.
Dark Wizard powers ? Bah this guy was a pansy, just lying in the dirt taking all her super-cool punches like a hunk of meat. She could take him with or without Pinkie pulling at her...or his weird friends, hell she could ta-
The number one athlete of CHS train of though was immediately derailed by the unexpected rising of Mount Josuke, one minute flat on his face and the next throwing her off with ease. Shocked she lay there in the dirt, things definitely not going for her short --and rapidly dawning on her-- stupid plan. Terror blossomed though when she noticed the 'transformation' that had overtaken the seemingly laid-back guy she'd encountered in the few classes they'd had together. His whole demeanor was different, threatening and reeking of menace. Needless to say Rainbow realized she was screwed.
"What the fuck did you say about my hair!" Josuke roared an evil glint in his eye even as he turned slowly to face the girl.
"Uhh....it was cool"
The lame smile didn't help, if anything it seemed to aggravate the boy even more.
"Don't fucking lie to me, you said it was stupid didn't you asshole !" with that he hefted the girl off the ground, one hand gripping the scruff of her collar. The look of fright etched on her face said it all, she hadn't realized he was anywhere near this strong. "I oughta break your face so much you wouldn't recognize it in the mirror" he growled "So be happy it's just gonna be your nose" with that he pulled back his arm ready for the strike, the other holding the now-struggling girl aloft.
"Josuke stop please !"
Wrapped around the taller boys torso was the thin frame of Fluttershy, desperately trying to hold his arm away from hurting her friend tears spilling from her eyes.
"I know what Rainbow did was wrong, she was stupid and violent and we WILL punish her for this but please...please don't hurt her...shes our friend...she was..she was just trying to protect us."
The petite girls tearful face awoke the gentler nature in the boy, his blind rage ebbing away as quickly as it arrived. Visibly sagging he lowered Rainbow Dash to the ground whom scurried back to her --noticeably distant-- friends, her only greeting being a light smack across the head from Applejack and glares from Pinkie and the boys.
"Its you" was all Josuke mumbled looking down at the girl in an an awkward embrace with him.
"I...umm...never got to thank you for saving Angel...well I tried but you couldn't hear me" she whispered returning to her naturally shy demeanor.
"FLUTTERSHY HOW COULD YOU!"
"Aww darn it Rarities woken up" Applejack had had just about enough of today.
Moving through the newly brewing -one sided-- argument between Rarity and a released Fluttershy, the cold shoulders given by the remaining group to Rainbow Dash and the boys relief at their friends abrupt return to his usual self Sunset approached a disheveled Josuke now attempting to remove the grass stains from his uniform.
"I think we all need to have a good long talk, don't you ?"
After five minutes of separation and cool down time both groups had returned to whatever could be considered normal in such a situation. The girls recovering their composure (especially Rarity whom had expressed incredulity at the idea of her Jojo thuggishly attempting to attack Rainbow Dash) whilst the boys huddled together planning their next move. With a single gesture Sunset imitated the boys, the girls grouping together in a circle, even a quiet Rainbow Dash no doubt reeling from her rash attack and subsequent trouncing. She'd been distant and withdrawn since the event even ignoring the harsh questions Rarity had thrown at her regarding the assault, barely mumbling in response.
"Alright then girls if Fluttershy is right and I've no reason to doubt her then Josuke is our 'wizard'. Now I'm the one here with the most experience in magic so please....let me take the lead ok ?"
The girls all nodded --Pinkie Pie practically shaking her head off-- which was good enough for Sunset. Her friends kept their word. Just as she was about to separate from the huddle however she felt a small-but-strong hand grip her forearm. Following it up to its owner she found herself staring into Fluttershys aquamarine eyes.
"I know he was a bit...umm...scary when fighting with Rainbow but please don't be frightened of him, he's got a kind heart in him. I just know it."
As much as the former Unicorn wanted to believe her friend she just couldn't remove the vision of Josuke holding Rainbow Dash like a rag doll, practically eager at the chance to hurt her. Swallowing her fear though she gave the pink-haired teen a nervous smile.
"Don't worry Fluttershy I can take care of myself" was what she said "I hope" was what she thought however as she broke away from the comforting embrace of her friends. What she wouldn't give to have her horn back now.....
Noticing his counterpart in the girls group approaching the center between their respective 'zones' (concrete for the girls, grassy field for the boys) Josuke ended their little planning session. It was simple enough. Talk to the leader-girl about stands, if things got violent again --even with Rainbow now in some shock over how easily he'd defeated her the possibility was still there-- then they'd let loose, Koichi and Okuyasu could back him up. He'd doubt it would happen since Fluttershy (he was sure that's what they called her) seemed to be pretty demure but then his experiences back home with him had shown how appearances could be deceiving. He stretched his back out slightly, that girl was surprisingly dense for someone so slim, before leaving the group he gave a quick wink to let them know to stay on their guard for anything unusual.
Strolling towards the girl a ready smile on his face he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge at how uncomfortable she looked, he guessed violence was unusual for her and he hadn't exactly been a model gentleman during the scuffle. Time to rectify that.
"Names Josuke" he said sticking his hand out in greeting to the girl "I know a few of your friends, Rarity and....uh Rainbow Dash, sorry 'bout that by the way, but I don't know your name."
Hesitantly the girl accepted his hand, her grip surprisingly weak.
"I'm Sunset Shimmer and i'd like to first of all apologize for Rainbow Dash, she's a hothead and whilst what she did was really stupid what Fluttershy-
"Straight pink hair ?" Josuke asked pointing at the girl whom dashed from the finger, hiding behind Pinkie Pie whom had somehow obtained a fold out chair and popcorn during the scant few seconds both of them had last seen her.
"-yeah, the girl with the hat is Applejack and the one stuffing her face...." Sunset frowned slightly "...that's Pinkie Pie, but back to Fluttershy what she said was right, Rainbow Dash thought she was protecting us from...well..you."
A dark eyebrow raised slowly.
"How so ?"
Sunsets frown deepened "Don't play coy Josuke, Fluttershy saw you heal Angel with some kind of regenerative pink energy. A cell restoration spell perhaps ? Or what about your sudden burst of strength during your scuffle, looked like a basic Boost-and-go to me" she sighed "Look i'll cut to the point, we know you've got magic somehow, what we want to know is were you the one to create that dark dimension energy drain spell and if so why ? You don't really seem like the 'I want to be an immortal liche-lord' kind of guy to me."
The teen tensed, it was all or nothing now. If she was wrong he'd probably splatter her across the landscape, if it did happen then at least she'd be the only victim and her friends could escape. Perhaps it'd be worth it ? A worthy sacrifice to make up for all the harm she'd done this world.
What she wasn't expecting was the boy to burst into laughter.
Not just any laughter though, a full on belly laugh that was a tad unsettling if the looks on her friends face said anything, her only response to it was a shrug. This was just too weird. Wiping the joy-tears from his eyes however the taller boy gestured to his friends .
"Come over here guys you gotta hear this, not only do they think we're magic but that we're using EVIL magic" the joke needing to be shared apparently.
"That sounds about right" muttered Okuyasu a small smile on his face as he sauntered over hands deep in his jacket pockets Koichi at his side hair now returned to its more controlled look.
"Look if your not using magic then what else is there ? Did you come through the portal ?" this was starting to give Sunset a headache.
"Not more Alien crap" sighed Okuyasu, he'd had more then enough of that back in Morioh no matter how nice said 'Alien' was it was still infuriating trying to figure it all out.
"If I may Josuke ?" interjected Koichi a focused look on his face.
"Hey be my guest you were the one who read the full report" with that Josuke stepped to the side allowing the shortest of the three to take center stage.
Radiating competence the boy gave Sunset a friendly smile "Could you bring your friend over please...Fluttershy was it ?"
"Uh yeah" between a simple 'come here' gesture and frenzied shoving from Rarity and co the girl scurried over to Sunset and the boys, she clung tightly to her friend though reluctant to the extreme. Even with the relaxing smiles of the three guys and her presence she doubted Fluttershy would give much more then a squeak to any questions or attention.
"Sunset, you seem to know something of 'magic' and Fluttershy is reported by Josuke to have seen 'something' when he healed her rabbit correct ?" said the teen in a slow methodical and matter of fact way. The girls simply nodded in response.
"This 'magic' of yours doesn't exist, what Fluttershy saw and what you attribute to magic is in fact something rather different. In fact we suspect Fluttershy may unintentionally be the cause of some of the problems in this town and the school, maybe even the incident a few days ago" there was snort of indignation from Okuyasu but Koichi continued "It's got many different names in multiple cultures, some call it a guardian angel or ghost-spirit, whilst only those truly in touch with their spiritual side can manifest it fully its abilities can be unwillingly activated by its user in dangerous or stressful situations of which your uh...shy friend would no doubt be involved in regularly."
Feeling out of her depth yet immensely curious Sunset couldn't help but interrupt "Whats it called then this 'not-magic' ?"
With an almost ominous tone Josuke answered her.
"It's called a Stand."
If you walked past Canterlot High School at Four PM you'd see a cute little scene, a group of young men and women in an ardent (if friendly) conversation. What were they discussing ? Perhaps life, perhaps the future, perhaps what they may do on the weekends or even the back-and-forth gossip of 'who liked who' in their group. It was all very scenic and represented the calm and peaceful lifestyle afforded by those living in Canterlot and Equestria in general, after all nothing unusual happens in Americas third least crime ridden city right ? Wrong.
If, however you guessed that they were discussing magic, supernatural guardians or 'weird events' you'd be dead right.
"A Stand ?" Fluttershy whispered getting a feel for the concept. Magic was one thing but this ? This was just bizarre. A quick glance at Sunset confirmed that she wasn't particularly enamored by the idea but then again she'd had much more experience with magic then she or any of her friends had. Koichi smiled nodding before she could reply though the short teen had yanked Josuke and Okuyasu back into the limelight both boys put out somewhat.
"I thought you said you could handle it Koichi, you know I'm no good at explaining this stuff" huffed Okuyasu, he'd been daydreaming of the after-school strawberry sundae he'd be snacking on right now if Rainbow Dash hadn't decided to get punchy with Josuke.
" I just need you and Josuke for a demonstration is all" he said running his hand through his hair and sighing lightly, corralling his friends could be a chore at times.
Sitting on the sidelines wasn't Applejacks style, she'd been described as 'proactive and headstrong' once by one of her more flowery suitors."Darn pansy couldn't even lift a bale of hay" she thought idly whilst keeping an eye on Rainbow Dash. That girl was more miserable then a steer in a slaughterhouse even if her current misery was justified, you just don't go for someone unless they've done something first. Then again she'd come from the Granny Smith school of learning aka 'Anyone tries to hurt ya you plug 'em in the face' so she couldn't exactly say she wouldn't have done the same thing in her place and mindset. The sight of Pinkie Pie covered in dust, ice cold and unconscious had done a ringer for the athletic girl who'd been at the scene when it had occurred.
"What are they talking about ?" muttered Rarity curiosity evident on her face.
"Something about lands and angels" replied Pinkie Pie matter of factly whilst looking through a pair of binoculars with one hand and stuffing popcorn into her mouth with the other. Having known Pinkie for long enough she didn't question where the girl had obtained the binoculars (quite unnecessary considering they were roughly 4 meters away from each other) or the deckchair and popcorn. That way lied the route to madness. As for land and angels, well it was interesting food for thought. A small part of her squee'd at the idea of Josuke with a pair of beautiful white wings, looking proud and majestic yet still demure and car-
"SWEET CELESTIA ON A STICK !"
Then she noticed the monsters.
The....creatures had barely appeared for a picosecond before Sunset cried out, she rarely used her mentors old name unless it was important --the odd looks she gained in CHS for it had led to that-- but this was most definitely one of those times. She bounded backwards dragging a flailing Fluttershy with her, whatever these things were seeing them up-close seemed like a bad idea. She wasn't the only one to react however if the cries of shock (and one of 'cooool') behind her were any indicator.
Once again however her expectations --rapid dismemberment by the monsters-- had been subverted for the day if the looks of mirth and confusion on their male counterparts were anything to go by.
"What in tarnation are those things !" piped in Applejack as she and the others hesitantly approached, determined to protect their friend from whatever the creatures were.
"This is a Stand" Josuke gestured to the three creatures, two large armored humanoids and one small oddly reptilian like creature "I'm guessing since you all reacted you can all see them right ?"
"Yes indeedy" vouched Pinkie showing no fear as she rapidly observed the Stands, circling them each with an occasional poke to a joint or armor pad before stopping at the reptilian Stand "Why's this one look like a turtle, lizard and a car had se-"
"Pinkie, a lady does NOT ask such questions!" an embarrassed smile was Rarities only answer from the energetic girl before she bounded back to the group.
"Six unmanifested Stand users in one place, all friends ? This is beyond unreal" was all Okuyasu could say boggled by the sheer odds. Even winning the lottery or picking up ultra-rare loot in World of Warhammers was more likely then this and someone had crunched the quintillion-to-one odds on that !
"This is a bit unusual I've got to admit" Koichi quickly ran to his and his friends former grassy seats where their schoolbags lay. Searching within he found his prize the incredibly thick Speedwagon report "Hopefully this may have something to work from, I did only get to page three-hundred and twenty-six". Amongst the uneasy glances of the girls (minus an ever jubilant Pinkie of course), bored sighs of Okuyasu, Jojos reassuring smiles and the rustling of Koichi speed reading a single arm was raised skyward.
"What is it Rainbow Dash ?" the short boy asked in a carefully neutral tone, he still hadn't quite forgiven her even if he had a rough idea of why she attacked his best friend.
"Uhh...whats a Stand ?"
One repeated explanation later and the girls were feeling rather more confident around these 'Guardian Angels', with Sunset taking the lead approaching Crazy Diamond in study first followed by Applejack tapping lightly on the blue and white exterior testing its inherent sturdiness whilst Rarity framed the spirit in her fingers, mentally testing several different designs for the Stand. She could definitely see Josukes touch on it, the strong musculature yet cool feminine touches of the pink screamed a confident man not afraid of being in touch with his sensitive side, that heart motif was very cute as well she had to admit.
Crazy Diamond wasn't the only one to be receiving attention though, The Hand was being led on a merry dance by Pinkie with the girl swinging the silent spirit in one part jitter bug three parts sugar-fueled raving. Echoes on the other hand was given the full 'Fluttershy Experience' as she coo'd over the squeaking wraith. Even Rainbow Dash had left her self-imposed misery giving Echoes a light pat on its shell.
"I always wanted a turtle" she muttered a small smile on her face.
"Oh it's not always like that" replied Koichi as he and the boys leafed through the report, three heads better then one. They were feeling more confident in the girls trustworthiness at this point, none of them were giving off particularly 'evil' vibes so to speak and if they'd wanted to they could of attacked by now so they were more concerned with the sheer oddity of so many friendly simultaneous unmanifested Stand Users then 'whom was the bad guy' so to speak. "Echoes Act2"
With those words the creature glowed softly, the girls withdrawing their hands in fear of being burnt only for Echoes to metamorphosize in front of their eyes into a much larger bio mechanical looking humanoid, elements of the 'old' Echoes apparent in its coloring and elongated tail. Whilst a tad shocked Fluttershy began petting the creature once more returning to her prior banter with the now mute creature.
"So it's a Pokemon ?" asked Rainbow trying to wrap her head around the Stands sudden change in appearance. Could Josukes and Okuyasus evolve as well ? If they could they'd probably have enough experience by now the way the girls were treating their Stands.
Chuckling Josuke nudged his friend "Show 'em Act3, i'll bet they'll love him"
Sighing Koichi nodded, he knew if he didn't they'd only get distracted and he needed as much help as he could getting through the monolithic --and exceedingly dry-- text of this report for any kind of 'mass stand awakening'.
"Echoes Act3"
Curious this time Rainbow placed her hand on Echoes Act2's shell followed by Fluttershy, both girls smiling at each other. A tingling warmth enveloped their hands as the burly figure once more lit up, this time shrinking to roughly its users height. When the glow subsided they found themselves touching a pale green humanoid figure covered in 'pads' and wearing a loincloth emblazoned with the number three. Rainbow found him cute in kind of an action figure way though he-
" 'Sup Bitches"
The girls backpedaled in shock, it had talked ! The damn thing talked !
Letting out a gleeful chuckle the spirit floated in mid air, reclining lazily in front of its owner with a cocky smirk on its face "You throw quite the party boss, lots of cute girls eh ? " glaring at the talkative Stand he focused for a second, Echoes Act3 suddenly bean glowing once more, as it was transforming however it turned and winked at Rainbow dash giving the girl a parting cry of "Happy Trails !" before returning to its diminutive Act1 form.
"What. The. Hell."
"Yeah sorry about that Rainbow" Koichi said casually "Act3 can be a bit mouthy at times but he's got a good heart."
Approaching the now cute-and-cuddly Act1 Fluttershy paused "Can they all talk ?"
Okuyasu replied this time, rooting around his ear with disinterest at their rapidly ending search through the report "Nah, sometimes they make noises but there's only a few with their own personality really...our bosses think their could be more though" the mention of their 'bosses' however caught Sunsets attention. She'd been the only one to really overhear the conversation with Echoes Act 3 such were the girls focus on their new playmates --Applejack even punching Crazy Diamond lightly on the arm to confirm Josukes claim of it being 'stupid tough'-- but had seen things far more surreal then creatures unexpectedly talking (it was the quiet that had gotten to her upon arriving in this world, so many creatures were just...silent) and wandered over to investigate.
Before she could begin though she was interrupted by Koichi frustratingly slamming the massive report into the grass followed by Okuyasu growling in disgust, Josuke took a more relaxed approach however and merely laid back onto the grass sighing.
"Nothing, over eight-hundred pages and not a single damn thing" grumbled the blonde a scowl on his face.
"You know what lets just do this the old fashioned way" Josuke said standing up once more and rubbing his left arm slightly, Applejack had a strong punch. "Guys, go get your stuff and give me a few minutes alone with them this'll be over one way or the other.......Yo girls !"
The six teens all approached Josuke, missing the disappearance of The Hand and Crazy Diamond whilst Echoes Act1 faded from a disappointed Fluttershys arms. They all seemed fairly upbeat from their experience with the Stands although Rainbow Dash had returned to her morose state, now with her Guitar case over her shoulder once more.
"So we've looked through --though more skimmed on his part-- the report and found nothing like this so I've got to ask you a few questions ok ? No good cop bad cop crap though just simple to-the-point questions" the girls nodded in response, Sunset the most obviously curious from the looks she had been giving their Stands. "Have you ever encountered or been shot with an arrow...not a wooden one either like normal but one made out of a weird brown stone" from the looks on their faces he'd take that as a no "Ok then have any of your family ever exhibited weird abilities ?"
At that question Sunset began giggling, curious Josuke approached the girl making sure to make himself not seem intimidating "Whats so funny ?"
"It's a in joke, you wouldnt understand" she replied with a smile.
"Try me."
"Well" began Sunset "You seem dead-set that we're Stand Users but I've already given you the answer to all of our 'abilities'. It's all magic"
Josuke rolled his eyes in frustration "Magic doesn't exist, if you can see and touch a Stand though your a user, nothing else can do so. Its a scientific fact !"
"There's science regarding spirit creatures ?" the teen snarked in response.
Sighing Josuke balled his fists slightly "Look me and the guys have been in with our bosses for tests, Okuyasu ? His Stand can erase ANYTHING with its right hand, that's how he got your friend out of that 'Dark dimension energy drain spell'" bunny ears were used liberally when said 'spell' was mentioned "Koichi can create an area with over five hundred times its own gravity and Crazy Diamond can shatter a three inch plate of titanium with a single punch and repair the damn thing afterwards !"
"Sounds like magic to me."
"How the hell can you be so sure !" was his only reply so infuriated at the girls flippant responses.
"Simple" Sunset replied "I know magic exists because i've used it before, I came from a world where magic flowed freely. Hell this isn't my original form either ! Where I came from I was talking Unicorn !"
Jojos look said everything she needed to hear on the subject.
"I am NOT crazy"
"It kinda sounds like it when you say it like that sugarcube" muttered Applejack, the group mostly silent at the battle of wills going on before them.
"S-sure thing Unicron girl" Jojo snickered, the absurdity of such a straight faced claim getting to him. "S-so can y-you show me some of this magic ? Like get your horn out or som-"
"Can I interrupt" asked Rainbow Dash quietly, both Jojo and Sunset looked at the girl wondering what she could have to say.
"I know things have kind of spiraled with us Josuke and you don't have any reason to believe me but Sunset is telling the truth, she and another girl both came through a magic portal inside the school statue, you know the horse one ? Sunset would show you some magic but it doesn't really exist in our world."
"So then.....you've got no proof."
"Well I kinda do" Rainbow whispered looking at the floor hefting her Guitar case around "I was gonna show you girls but after what I did today I don't really feel I deserve to so...uh Applejack if you don't' mind ?"
The farm girl pointed at herself "What me ? You know I can't play that damn guitar of yours I'm a bass player !"
"Wheres this going exactly Rainbow Dash ?" asked a concerned Rarity, her friend rarely ever let anyone else play her guitar unless it was for something serious.
"There practically the same thing AJ, I don't need you to do anything fancy just shred a bit, it's ok Rarity you'll see in a minute"
Shaking her head in exasperation Applejack popped the case open revealing a slightly battered green electric guitar, after a few moments of making herself comfortable she began strumming lightly, the rainbow colored pick causing the strings to reverberate in a satisfying manner. After a few seconds of this she raised her speed, the strings now blurring to Josukes eyes, that wasn't the only thing blurring though.....
A red energy suffused itself around the girl as she seemingly levitated off the ground. As the whine of the strings grew faster though so did the energies opaqueness before finally (with a shrieking crescendo) the energy shattered revealing a slowly descending applejack, now resonating with a light glow as well as the owner of a cute set of horse like ears and a floor length ponytail.
To the agape Josuke --no doubt full of questions-- Sunset had a single word answer.
"Maaaagic"
