Chapters Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala." Twilight shook the noble's hoof, a large smile covering her face.
In the moment between guests, Celestia leaned over to her fellow princess. "Softer, Twilight. Your smile will last longer."
Twilight nodded but didn't change her smile for the next guest. "Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala." She waited for the guest to walk away. "How much longer?"
"Just the ones we can see at this point."
Twilight looked out across the crowd. "That's still a lot. Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala."
Celestia watched the guest walk away. "It's far less than before."
"Ohohoho." An elderly stallion trotted up to the princesses. "You two don't seem to like what you're doing."
Twilight chuckled. "Not really. It's very boring."
The stallion forcefully shook Twilight's hoof. "Don't worry, your highness! I'm sure this event will be a blast! You've just got to get through the boring parts."
"Of course!" Twilight's smile was even more exaggerated until the stallion was gone. "Who was that?"
"Grey Fly." Fancy Pants trotted up to Twilight. "He appeared rather recently in Canterlot, but he quickly made a name for himself. There hasn't been an event in the past month that he's missed."
"Though that does remind me of those horrible disasters recently." Fancy's lover was tapping her chin. "I don't think Grey Fly has anything to do with them, but they are concerning none the less."
Celestia nodded. "They don't seem to be caused by someone, but they have been occurring with alarming frequency as of late."
Twilight swallowed. "Let's hope they stop before too many ponies are hurt."
Rainbow groaned. "Where is Twilight? I need to talk to her."
Applejack shrugged. "Greeting the guests still, probably."
Pinkie's head was on the table. "I feel bad for her. The rest of this is boring as is."
Fluttershy looked at the one friend of their's that seemed to be enjoying herself. "Well, it's definitely not as exciting as last year."
Rainbow looked around. "Is Discord even here?"
Applejack shook her head. "Nope. They banned him. Until Celestia can slip him back on the list."
Fluttershy tilted her head. "Then why didn't they ban us after-"
Pinkie pointed her nose to the sky. "I'M SO BOOOOOOORED!"
Rainbow stood up. "I'm going to find something to do. I'll find Twilight later."
Rainbow passed by Spike, who glanced at her as he headed towards the rest of the girls. "Hey, I'm headed to Donut Joe's. Want to come along?"
Pinkie responded by leaping over the table, grabbing Spike's tail in her mouth, and running out the door.
Fluttershy sighed. "Well, I'm headed out back if you need me."
Applejack watched as the last other pony left the table. "Might as well get some more grub."
Far above everyone was a small insect, moving small metal balls into places they couldn't roll out of.
Author's Note
I'm gonna casually leave a Patreon link here.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Applejack!" Rarity was waiting at the mostly empty table. "Where are the others?"
Applejack set her plate down. "Rainbow wandered off somewhere, Fluttershy went out back, and Pinkie grabbed Spike and rushed off to Donut Joe's."
"May I ask why you didn't leave, then?"
"Business deal." Applejack swallowed the food in her mouth.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I see. Then might I recommend that you mind your manners when your investor gets here?"
Far above them, a fly placed a small metal ball in a crevice, out of sight of anyone that might happen upon it. "Hehehe. These explosives may be small, but I don't need the blast to be big. I need it to hit every support I can reach. Once they all break and fall, the whole building will go down, and those insurance policies I collected will pay me millions!"
The insect had only turned away for a second when the explosive vanished.
Applejack yawned. "Where is he?"
"Do you know his name? I might be able to help you find him."
"His name is-"
"Ohohoho! There you are!" An elderly stallion sat down across from the girls. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Bit of a thick crowd here."
Applejack smiled. "That's alright, sugarcube. As long as this all works out."
"Oooohhh. You're going big now, aren't you?"
Applejack blushed as Rarity raised and lowered her eyebrows.
The insect flew around with another metal ball in its grasp. "Only two more before I can set them off!" It placed the metal ball down, then turned towards the crowd. "This has to be almost everyone! Soon enough..."
It caught sight of the two ponies that had just entered the room. "There! The princesses! They're the only ones that can try anything! And if they do, I'll rip out their tongues! All I need to do is make sure those explosives-"
The explosive was gone.
"Huh? Where did it go? I just put it down! Did it fall out?"
The growling behind it was very telling. The insect turned around.
The other creature was a serpent. Its body was made of hair, and it had a tail that was reaching into the crowd.
Meanwhile, Applejack looked over the paper. "This feels... off."
Rarity took the paper and looked it over herself. "I don't see what the problem is. It's definitely in your favor."
"It's too far in my favor. I'm sure there's something about this deal I'm missing."
"I should be a bit more clear, I don't plan on keeping this version forever. I would rather get my foot in the door first, then try to make things work more in my favor. With your approval, of course."
"Uh... alright." Applejack frowned. Something ain't right here. She pulled the paper back towards her. Just getting his hoof in the door? That makes no sense. All of the other investors try to make as good of a first deal as possible, but it feels like he ain't even trying to get much out of this.
Grey Fly giggled. "Take as long as you need, Miss Applejack."
He's being way too casual about this... Huh? Applejack looked towards the crowd.
"What's wrong, darling?"
"I thought I saw-"
"GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Blood splattered all over the two mares. Grey Fly had been cut in half.
Author's Note
Stand:???
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The insect stared the serpent down. "Hehehe. You startled me at first. You don't look like a stand that will go down easily. But now that I've got a better look at you, I don't think I need to beat you at all."
The insect glared down the body of the serpent. "After all, you're connected to your master! All I have to do is rip out their tongue, and you won't be even a slight threat to me!"
The serpent's eyes narrowed. "Do you think I'll let you do that?"
"Like you could stop me! I can outspeed a bullet!" The insect took off after the mare.
It only got half-way before the serpent caught the insect in its mouth.
"Huh?"
"You compare your speed to those slow things? Please. As if you could ever out-speed me."
The serpent bit down, bifurcating the insect and transferring the damage to its master.
"Oh, sweet Celestia!"
"Oh my goodness!"
"AAAHHHH!"
Grey Fly looked at the point he split in half at. But... how? My Stand... It's supposed to be...
"Grey!" Twilight rushed over to him. "What happened?"
The stallion could only let out a pained groan as his eyes rolled back.
Celestia looked above the crowd, then turned towards Applejack and Rarity. "You two! What happened?"
Rarity looked the princess in the eye. "I-I don't know. We were talking when he... He just..."
Applejack looked at the body. "I was looking away when it happened. I'm sorry."
Celestia looked directly at the crowd. "I need everyone here to leave this room at once! Gather in front of the castle for interrogation immediately!"
The ponies started chattering but did as they were told. Well, all except one.
"Applejack! Rarity!" Rainbow Dash rushed over to her friends. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Celestia placed her hoof on Rainbow's back. "They're fine, but there are very important things we need to discuss. Where are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?"
Applejack looked out the window. "Fluttershy should be outside, and Pinkie is at Donut Joe's with Spike."
"Rainbow, get Fluttershy and head to Pinkie. Make sure she doesn't leave. Twilight, help Applejack and Rarity get cleaned up before the three of you head over as well. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Your highness! Wait!" A guard ran over. "I know they're your friends, but-"
Celestia glanced at the guard. "I already know who killed him."
Everyone else present gasped.
"And there's something more pressing right now." Celestia lifted a device off of Grey's body.
"Is that... a switch?"
Celestia placed it on the table. "A detonator, to be precise." She turned towards the guard. "You know what to do."
The guard nodded then ran off.
"Girls? Get going."
Rainbow ran for the door outside while the other three ran through a different door.
Celestia glared at the corpse. "Those disasters were your fault, weren't they? You would make agreements that would let you take out insurance policies on other ponies and their property, then cause damage that looked natural so you would be paid. Did you think I didn't know? About your methods or your Stand? Your killer will not be punished." Energy started pulsing from her body. "You deserved it, you bastard."
Author's Note
I already hear cries of "Lazy" in regards to the insect stand. Trust me, it'll make sense later.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
*Ding Ding Ding*
Joe looked at the door. "There you are! Your friends have been waiting for you for a while now."
Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Spike looked at the door.
"Twilight!" Spike ran over and hugged his sister. "Rainbow told us what happened. Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"
Twilight placed her hoof on Spike's back. "I'm fine. I don't know if I was in any danger, but I wasn't hurt."
"You don't think it was..." Fluttershy swallowed. "... Wild Angel, do you?"
Rarity raised her eyebrow. "Wild Angel?"
Twilight looked over her shoulder. "A serial killer that hasn't been heard from in years. I doubt it was them, but I don't think it can be proven either way."
Fluttershy bit her lip and looked out the window. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack sat down at the table their friends were at, Spike clinging to Twilight's back.
Pinkie was combing her mane with her hooves. "Grey Fly... Why was he killed?"
"I... don't know. I was about to make a deal with him when it happened."
Rarity's eyes lit up. "Wait. Didn't you say there was something off about the contract? Maybe he did someone wrong in an earlier deal, and they decided to end him in a memorable way."
"I suppose it's possible." Twilight turned to Rainbow. "What do you think?"
Rainbow stared at her drink.
"Uh, Rainbow?"
She didn't respond.
Pinkie planted her front hooves on the table. "HEY SPITFIRE!"
"Wha- bluh?" Rainbow looked around.
Twilight grabbed Rainbow's head. "Rainbow, what's wrong? Why were you spacing out?"
"I was wondering about Wild Angel. I've heard the name before, but I don't quite remember where."
"She was a big deal a while back." Fluttershy looked at the donut before her. "Some called her a vigilante hero of justice, but I don't think a hero should leave their victims torn apart if they were even alive. It's more likely that they were looking for someone to kill and chose those that weren't likely to be missed."
Rarity swallowed the bite of donut she had in her mouth. "In that case, it's amazing they knew who was and wasn't a criminal. Besides, some of them weren't as bad as their other victims. It's more likely that they killed anyone that threatened them."
Applejack leaned on her front leg. "But wouldn't that mean they aren't involved in this mess at all? I mean, Grey was sitting down focusing on us."
Fluttershy bit her lip. "That depends on how they pick their targets."
Pinkie tilted her head. "How did that Grey guy die, anyway?"
"We don't know. One minute, we were talking about our deal. The next, he was soaked in blood and dying."
Spike scratched his head. "Wait, how did you two avoid getting blood on you?"
"They didn't. I had to help them clean up. That's why we were so far behind Rainbow and Fluttershy."
Tears appeared in Rarity's eyes. "My poor dress. I don't know if I will ever get the blood out of it."
Applejack looked at her hat, then at Rarity. "That wasn't as grand as you usually make it."
"Well, that's because we have more pressing issues."
"I agree."
Celestia had appeared in the door to the shop.
Author's Note
I don't know why, but I imagine Celestia's arrival as being accompanied by Awake (The Piller Men's theme). Even though it doesn't fit her at all.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Celestia stared at the friends for a moment before moving towards them.
Twilight's eyes followed her mentor's movements. "Celestia, is everyone at the Gala alright?"
Celestia sat down. "Everyone else was unharmed, but we had to cancel tonight's Gala."
Rainbow shrugged. "I mean, suddenly murder. Why continue it after that?"
Celestia pulled a mug of hot cocoa towards herself and sipped from it. "Have any of you heard of Stands?"
Fluttershy looked at Rarity. "Do you mean a modeling stand?"
Celestia glared at Fluttershy. "I mean the supernatural power."
Rainbow just stared at Celestia while the others looked between each other.
"That's what I thought." Celestia took another sip of her cocoa. "A Stand is a manifestation of one's fighting spirit. It can take on many forms depending on its master. Very few Stands are the same, but there are a few general rules. First, only those with a Stand, or a Stand User, can see a Stand. The few non-Stand Users I've met that have seen a Stand always turned out to either be a Stand User without knowing it or later became a Stand User naturally.
"Second, the Stand itself can only be affected by other Stands. The master, however, is fair game. Third, most Stands have a form of intangibility. This means that a master can hide their Stand inside of themselves as a form of protection. Fourth, as projections of our spirits, masters can use their Stands to communicate. Typically, this means that they're communicating without non-Stand Users being able to hear them."
Spike shared a look with Twilight. "Why are you telling us all of this?"
"The fifth rule of stands is that damage to a Stand is transferred to the User." Celestia took another sip of cocoa as the others at the table processed this.
"Grey Fly was a Stand User?"
Celestia nodded. "I only caught a glimpse of it at the Gala, but it was small and fast. I have some ponies investigating, but I believe that Grey Fly would make a deal with a pony, take out insurance on a location, object, or even that very pony, then cause a catastrophe so he could claim the insurance on whatever it was. Or whoever it was."
Applejack bit her lip.
Rarity's eye was twitching. "W-wait. Wasn't he about to destroy the Gala?"
Celestia nodded. "He's made a big name for himself. Odds are that a number of ponies he had insurance on were present. He was probably using his Stand to place the explosives at vulnerable points around the hall. Once he had Applejack's signature, he would have been able to slip out and detonate them all, bringing the whole room down."
Rainbow scowled. "And killing everypony inside. All for money."
Applejack was staring at the table. "Taking insurance out on my farm. Then destroying it."
Rarity looked at Applejack. "He might have even lured me into his scheme."
Fluttershy was hugging herself. "What if he had targeted the sanctuary?"
Pinkie was shaking. "If he started targeting Ponyville..."
Twilight pulled Spike to her chest. "He killed so many, and he would have killed so many more."
"Exactly." Celestia lowered her cocoa. "Though you only killed him because of the immediate threat, right?"
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Everyone at the table stared at Celestia in shocked silence.
Rarity was the first to process what she heard. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
Celestia remained silent.
"Your highness, I..." Applejack swallowed. "I don't think I heard you right."
Celestia stared straight across the table.
Pinkie giggled mirthlessly. "You're joking, right? There's no way one of us-"
Celestia pulled out a knife.
"WOAH! OKAY!" Fluttershy covered her head. "YOU'RE BEING SERIOUS!"
Celestia raised the knife just over her shoulder.
Twilight squeezed Spike. "Celestia, please think about what you're-"
The knife went flying towards its target. It stopped less than a centimeter away from Rainbow's eye.
Rainbow smirked. "Let me guess. You knew because of how fast my Stand was."
Celestia nodded. "I knew his Stand had to be fast, so the only one that could logically hit him was another Stand that was fast. And since the other Wonderbolts were absent this year, that only left one possible pony."
Rainbow nodded. "My Stand, Rainbow Connection, is at least twice as fast as I am, and I have yet to determine its range. I know it's able to at least reach from Cloudsdale to Ponyville with ease, but that's as far as I've been able to test. It's not like I can just fling it from The Crystal Empire to Mt. Aris without attracting unwanted attention."
Celestia leaned forward. "That looks less like a serpent and more like a Regal Dragon1. It's quite colorful, but what did I expect."
Twilight's ears perked up. "Celestia, did you just admit to having a Stand?"
Celestia's eyes widened. "... Indirectly, but yes. I just started evaluating her Stand without thinking about it."
Applejack rubbed her eyes. "So only Stand Users can see Stands? Cus I can see something."
Rainbow's head snapped to Applejack. "What?"
Rarity rubbed her head. "So can I."
Pinkie was resting her head on her hoof. "It's just an outline, but it's there."
Fluttershy looked around. "Am I the only one that doesn't see it?"
"Yeah." Twilight stared at the Stand. I'm not about to say it, but I can see Rainbow Connection in full. The six colored mane around its neck, the square muzzle, the colors running down its back. It's... esoterically beautiful. No. Not esoterically. It's just beautiful.
"I should be going." Celestia stood up. "With a murder in the castle, there's no way the guards won't be wondering about my location. Rainbow Dash. I will make sure the guards never learn it was you, but try not to make a habit out of killing others. I expect you to tell the others about the finer details of Stands, as well as the 'curse' we all have."
Applejack's eyes dilated. "Curse?"
"See you all later." With that, Celestia left the building.
"You already prevented an investigation. There's no need for you to help with cleaning up the body or disposing of the explosives."
Celestia looked at the creature standing in the shadows nearby.
"You didn't want them prying into your stand or other powers, did you? Boss?"
Author's Note
Stand: Rainbow Connection
1 In-universe equivalent of an Eastern Dragon.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The girls watched Celestia leave the donut shop.
"Hey, uh, Rainbow?" Applejack was notably shaking. "What did she mean by 'curse?'"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Rainbow placed her hoof over her mouth. "Does she mean that weird gravity thing?"
Pinkie's head was nearly upside-down. "Gravity?"
"It's something the guy who told me about Stands mentioned. Apparently, Stand users interact with gravity strangely or something."
"I don't think that's what he meant."
Everyone looked at Twilight.
Twilight sighed. "You know what gravity is, right? At least, what most creatures think of when they hear gravity."
Applejack nodded. "It's why we all stay attached to the earth. The center of the earth has a pull to it that keeps us all on it."
"That's only half of it. The truth is, everything has some sort of "core" like the earth does. Which means that everything has its own "pull" to it. It's just that the earth's is usually the strongest."
Rainbow scratched her head. "So how would that change from being a Stand user?"
"It doesn't. I believe that your friend was using it metaphorically. As a comparison. What they're saying is that you're more likely to encounter a Stand User if you have a Stand yourself."
*Ding Ding Ding*
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that I'll just bump into other Stand users at random? I guess that explains how I met Sa- Er, I mean, my friend so easily."
Rarity smirked and propped her head on her hooves. "Why are you keeping his name from us? Is he a lover?"
Rainbow didn't take a second to respond. "EW! UGH! NO! THAT'S DISGUSTING! I'M NOT A FREAKING- UGH!"
Rarity leaned back as her smile changed. "Ehe. Okay. Forget I asked."
"It's nice that you have a friend that can help you understand your Stand." Fluttershy looked away. "I mean, I know I can't."
Pinkie whispered into Rainbow's ear.
Rainbow's ear twitched. "You know him? What am I saying, you're Pinkie. What I mean is, how did you know it was him?"
Pinkie giggled. "I'm guessing that, while Stands themselves aren't visible to anyone without a Stand, their abilities aren't exactly the same way. I saw him using his Stand in private when he didn't realize I was there. It was pretty interesting, too."
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah. There are certain Stands that affect real-world objects. In those situations, everypony can see your Stand."
Spike scratched his head. "Man. These rules are getting complex."
"That's the thing. They're kind of like the rules of our language." Rainbow stood up on her hind legs, keeping her front hoof on the table. "The rules don't always apply. Damage reflects back onto the user unless it's an automatic or bound Stand. But then you have Stands that aren't automatic or bound, but the damage to the Stand doesn't reflect on the User because it's designed to protect the User. Stands are evaluated under six parameters, but sometimes they don't have any ranking in one or more of those parameters due to what their Stand is like.
"A Stand user may not bother fighting because their Stand is too weak, and a Stand user may not bother fighting because their Stand is too strong. Even more so, that weak Stand may be just the right type to defeat that strong Stand. There may be patterns to Stands, but none of those patterns apply to every Stand. A Stand could be anything."
Rainbow's friends all stared at her.
Author's Note
Go go go go go...
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Everyone at the table stared at Rainbow, who had an intimidating look on her face.
Pinkie looked around. "So... who's picking up the tab?"
"So you're saying my lasso could be a Stand?"
Rarity looked away. "Any book we pick up..."
Fluttershy looked out the window. "The critters at my sanctuary maybe?"
"Is Spike my Stand?"
Rainbow giggled. "It's technically possible, but I really doubt it. I think one of you would have noticed by now."
"Oh! Oh! Can I have a circus for a Stand? I want a circus for a Stand!"
Twilight put her hoof in Pinkie's mouth. "That does beg the question of how one gets a Stand, though."
"Oh, gosh, uh... I think some creatures are born with them, so there are babies that have Stands."
"BABIES?"
"Not exactly."
The girls all turned to the next table over. Sitting there was a parrot wearing a green jacket with blue buttons. The feathers on his head were thin and white, stretching just past his shoulders.
"While there are babies that do have Stands, they're very rare even among Stand Users. A number of Stand users are born without Stands but with the potential to receive one later in their life. The most common method of receiving a Stand, however, is through the Stand Arrows."
Fluttershy watched the parrot stand up. "So anyone can get a Stand?"
"No. One has to have a strong enough fighting spirit, otherwise, the arrow will just kill them." The parrot placed his talons right next to Twilight's plate. "More importantly, have you heard of the Stand hunter?"
Rarity's eye twitched. "Stand... hunter?"
Applejack placed her hoof on her hat. "I'm guessing that's not someone that recruits Stand Users."
The parrot shook his head. "Stand Users are their own sort of underground group. You can't just go around using your Stand everywhere you go. As such, when a Stand User dies, it's usually kept hush if they were killed by another Stand."
Rainbow glared at the parrot. "Let me guess. Someone is taking advantage of that and offing Stand Users left and right."
"Yes. If they learn of a Stand User, they'll target that creature and kill them without consequence. So far, only a select few Stand Users have faced them and lived to tell about it. Just be wary of that." He lifted his talon, leaving a piece of paper just under Twilight's plate. "By the way, I'm... no. That doesn't matter. Just know I'm a friend." He turned his back and left.
The girls shared a look.
*Ding Ding Ding*
"I... guess we should head home now, huh?"
Twilight looked at the paper the parrot left.
Twilight's friends were all either laying down or resting against each other. Twilight, however, couldn't get to sleep. All of the information she learned just a couple of hours ago was bouncing around in her head. But one thing stood out to her.
Celestia. Something wasn't right about her. She seemed colder and more distant than ever before.
Twilight pulled out the letter that the parrot left and opened it up. She read its contents. Then she re-read them. And again.
This... This can't be right! What is this? Is he trying to throw me off? Or is this a real warning?
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she burned the note.
I can't let them know!
Author's Note
Who was that Parrot? What was in that note? Will Pinkie break the fourth wall?
"Yes."
Find out next- Darnit, Pinkie!
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Spike stretched his arms as he stepped out of the carriage. "Man. I didn't think I'd get any sleep in a carriage."
Pinkie giggled. "I know, right? Those things aren't usually so comfy!"
Rarity looked at the wheel of the carriage. "By the way, did anyone else smell something burning last night?"
"No. I didn't." Twilight let out a huge yawn. "I didn't smell anything like that."
Fluttershy put her wing over Twilight's back. "You didn't sleep last night, did you?"
"No. The stuff we talked about was all bouncing around in my, uh, head." Twilight's eyes fluttered as she suddenly stumbled into Fluttershy, causing the pegasus to blush.
Rainbow took one look at the scene before her before bursting out laughing.
"Hey, if Stand Users are drawn to each other, then what effect will that have?"
The girls looked where Applejack was pointing. A number of worker ponies were putting together some wooden beams.
"I think that's for the foundation."
Spike pinched Twilight's cheek. "She means the school. Once it's finished ponies from all over Equestria will come. What are the odds that most of them will be Stand Users?"
"Oh. Uh." Twilight bit her lip. She hadn't told any of her friends that there would also be non-pony creatures attending. "Let's just hope it doesn't get too bad."
"Finally!"
The girls turned to the approaching pony.
"I've been trying to figure out which one of you it was for weeks now! Ever since I got my Stand! But now I know it's you! Twilight Sparkle!"
The girls look at each other, then back to the newcomer.
Rainbow placed her wing on her chest. "Actually, it's me. Twilight doesn't have a Stand."
"Do not try to deceive The Great And Powerful Trixie! Trixie knows a Stand User when she-"
Rainbow Connection moved in front of Twilight.
"Oh. It is you. It even sort of looks like you. Makes you seem rather full of yourself, huh?"
Rainbow snarled. "Oh, like you're one to talk!"
"HAHAHA! Oh, but talking is what I do! It's all about the show! For example..." The mare waved her cape around, summoning a feather-covered quadripedal creature with two black spaces where its eyes would be. "Behold! My Stand! When Doves Cry!"
Rainbow's eyes dropped. "Uh, yeah. Real intimidating."
"But it is! It is heavy as a mountain, incapable of leaving the ground no matter how much you lift it! It can track you down, even if you're on the other side of the world! And its blows can level anything it strikes, even the mountain that Canterlot is on!" The Stand's eyes lit up. "That is what my Stand is capable of!"
Fluttershy stepped back. "That sounds really dangerous."
The mare let out a laugh. "You have nothing to fear! It's Rainbow Dash that should be scared, since it's coming for her!" Trixie then leered past the brim of her hat. "Shall we begin?"
Author's Note
Stand: When Doves Cry
Trixie... next time you enter a story like this... how about not introducing yourself before the narration does? It kind of ruins the suspense if you do that.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow and Trixie stared each other down. Rainbow Connection draped itself around Dash's neck. When Doves Cry stood there in a way that one could consider menacing.
Trixie's Stand finally took a step forward.
Then another.
And then another.
Applejack leaned over to Fluttershy. "I get the feeling that this fight will take a while."
"Is it moving that slowly? I can't see it."
Rainbow lifted herself off the ground and positioned herself above Trixie's Stand. The Stand looked up, slowly lifted onto its hind legs, then slowly threw a punch, followed by another slow punch. Neither of which came anywhere close to Rainbow.
"Trixie." Rainbow looked from the Stand to the master. "What are you trying to do?"
"Trixie will prove that her Stand is the strongest of Stands! And nothing you can do-"
"IDIOT!"
Rainbow Connection suddenly launched towards the enemy Stand, striking it in the belly before zipping around and hitting its back. From there, the fight became unwatchable. RC was simply moving too fast to see, with dozens and dozens of blows connecting without anyone seeing RC make the blows. Doves made two swings towards it, missing by a mile, before bursting into feathers.
"Noooooooooo!"
Rainbow landed. "I know how your Stand works because of your fight with my partner, so what the hay was that? You made your Stand heavy? Why?"
"Because your partner kept flinging Doves around!"
"My Stand and his Stand are completely different!"
Rarity glanced over at Twilight. "What are they arguing about?"
Twilight sighed. "If I had to guess, it's about the specifics of Trixie's Stand. Given that Trixie is fine in spite of the beating her Stand took, I'm guessing it's an automatic Stand. What Rainbow said about making the Stand heavy might have something to do with what Trixie said before it powered on."
Pinkie put her hoof to her mouth. "So you're saying that Trixie makes some boasts about her Stand, and they come true? How weird."
Fluttershy shrugged. "It fits."
"FINE!" Rainbow reared. "If you're so confident about your Stand, then summon it again so I can fight it properly!"
Trixie nickered. "Trixie needs to wait an hour before summoning her Stand again."
Rainbow paused for a few seconds, then dropped to her haunches. "Let me get this straight. Your Stand operates on what you claim, which are based on prior battles with unrelated Stands, and if your Stand gets destroyed you need to wait another hour before using it again?"
"Yes. So?"
Rainbow placed her face in her hoof as RC hung its head. "I'll say this for your sake. Don't pick any more fights with Stand Users. You'll just get yourself killed."
"Hah! Do you think Trixie's Stand is really that weak?"
"Your Stand is strong. You're the one that's weak." Rainbow stood up and turned away. "Either figure out how to use it or give up before you get killed."
Trixie glared at Rainbow before turning her nose up and walking away.
Twilight bit her lip as Rainbow drew close. "Didn't you mention that Stand Users gravitate towards one another?"
"It's Trixie. She won't give up that easily." Rainbow looked at the now distant unicorn. "She'll stop breathing before she gives up."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow sat on a hillside, watching the high sun start to lower. She knew her partner had received her message, and he was always good about responding to them when he got any of her messages.
"Hey, Rainbow."
Rainbow looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Sandbar."
The colt trotted over to her side before sitting down. "You got something good?"
"It's big. I don't know if it's good or not."
"I've got something pretty big, but you called this meeting. So what did you learn?"
Rainbow sighed. "Well, you know about the Elements of Harmony?"
"Yeah. You and five of your friends use those gems to force friendship, stoning, and death upon your foes." Sandbar poked Rainbow in the chest while smirking. "What, is one of your friends a Stand User?"
"No, but four of them have the potential to become Stand Users."
Sandbar blinked. "Four? Wow. Who would have guessed?"
"Exactly. Now I have to worry about other Stand Users showing up and attacking them at random."
Sandbar put his hoof over Rainbow's back. "It's alright. I can definitely help. And I'm sure the Angels are bigger targets for most Stand Users."
"The Angels." Rainbow thought about the three strange ponies. Masterful Stand Users that no one knows a lot about, only known by their Stand names; Concrete Angel, Paper Angel, and Angel of Darkness. Rumor has it that they trained under the serial killer, Wild Angels, but it's hard to prove anything about a group of ponies that have little to no identity within even an underground group.
"Speaking of the Angels, Angel of Darkness made an attack recently."
"Is that your big thing?"
*Rustle rustle*
Both of them turned around and stared right at the bushes behind them. RC came out and quickly weaved through the bushes, searching for any sign of life.
"There's a dead bird under the bush but nothing else. It was probably the wind."
"Huh." Sandbar turned back to Rainbow. "Anyway, there was a family that was trying to force a filly to be the lover of their youngest child. His parents kidnapped her, threw her in a room, and locked it behind the colt. Ten minutes later, they checked on the two. A dark beast shot out past them, leaving a room with nothing but bloodstained walls."
"That sounds like Angel of Darkness alright. Any other info on the filly?"
"Only two things. First, they were young. Real young."
"Your age young?"
Sandbar shook his head. "Cheerilee's students young."
"Yikes. That probably got the parents in some deep shit. The other thing?"
"Their family apparently has some power around here and possibly beyond."
Rainbow tapped her chin. "Diamond Tiara, perhaps? Maybe Silver Spoon?"
"I doubt it. Their parents paid good money to keep them safe while in Canterlot for the week before attending the Gala. Speaking of, was that you?"
"The so-called "victim" had a Stand as fast as a bullet."
"Nice kill."
"Thanks."
"But yeah. Silver and Diamond had some serious protection until this morning." Sandbar stretched his front legs. "I really doubt they could have been kidnapped that easily."
"Any idea who it could have been?"
"Well, there is one-"
Blood suddenly spurted from Sandbar's shoulder. Both of them looked at it for a moment.
"You're kidding me."
Sandbar stood up. "Look out! There's an enemy Stand nearby!"
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow floated down. "Well done, Sandbar. I probably would have never caught that the enemy was invisible."
Sandbar glanced over at her.
Rainbow yawned. "Well, at least that wasn't too bad. Time to go home, I guess."
"Before you do, could you do me a favor?"
Rainbow raised her eyebrow. "What is it?"
"You mentioned a dead bird earlier. Could you check on it?"
Rainbow looked at the bushes. "I mean, it was right-"
She stopped talking when she saw blood trickling from the bushes. The earth lifted up from below the bushes, parting them and showing a bird that had been crushed.
"Was that the bird?"
"What happened to it? It wasn't that flat when I... I..." Rainbow stared at Sandbar through the corner of her eye. "Was that bird the thing that was attacking us?"
"It has to be. There's no reason for it to be so crushed otherwise." The earth lowered back down. "Which means someone brought it back to life to attack us."
"Which means the Stand User is still out there." Rainbow groaned. "Why couldn't this have come up some other time?"
"You'll have plenty of time to complain later. I softened the earth in a five-mile radius around me. Once we find their prints, we can easily find them and take them out."
The pegasus sighed and sent her Stand up. "Give me a second." Rainbow closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them back up. "That way, starting fifteen yards away."
"Well, let's go." Sandbar made it five steps before turning to his partner, who had her hoof to her face. "Hey, Rainbow? I know I'm being a bit rough on you, but you do know I value you as a partner and a friend, right?"
Rainbow looked at her partner's face, then at his bags. "... Yeah. Of course."
The colt nodded. "Then let's get going."
The two of them ran in the direction that Rainbow indicated. It wasn't too long before they found the tracks the enemy left.
"When you saw these prints earlier, did you notice the shape of them?"
"No. I was too high up." Rainbow leaned down towards the prints. "Given the shape, it's probably a dragon."
"Know any dragons in the area?"
"One, and he's a baby. There's no way these are his." Rainbow stood upright and sent her Stand in the direction the tracks were leading. "I don't see them. Maybe their Stand made them invisible?"
"Do you see them making any tracks?"
"... Yeah. They're moving pretty fast."
"It wouldn't be good if we lost them. Let's get going." Sandbar followed the trail with Rainbow by his side. These prints. This dragon is at least as old as she is. Probably older. His eyes went wide. Wait. That bird. The direction we're heading in leads to...
"Think they're heading somewhere in particular?"
"They have to be. Remember how they raised a bird that was dead?"
Rainbow watched Sandbar slow down, coming to a halt herself.
"What if that wasn't the largest creature they could bring back to life?"
Rainbow stared at Sandbar before looking at what he was looking at. The destination the prints were leading them to.
"The Ponyville Cemetary."
Author's Note
Another familiar-sounding Stand. And another where it will make sense later.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The invisible creature moved swiftly into the cemetery. "Those fools. They're following me right into a trap. My Stand lets me raise the dead, stronger than ever, and turn them invisible." He looked at the hilltop the two ponies stopped on top of. "They'll waltz right in, and my invisible army will swarm them right away. They'll never see it coming."
One of the ponies walked down the hill as the other flew above the cemetery.
He smiled. "I've seen your Stands. You can't stop all of us. That dragon Stand may be fast, but it doesn't have any bite. That earth Stand has very little reach. If either of you went to get help, I'd just overrun that nearby town and give myself a much larger army to work with. No matter what you do, I've won."
The colt moved closer to the cemetery entrance.
"That's it, boy. Come closer, and join my army."
Sandbar stopped right outside of the gate. The last thing you do in a fight... Sandbar looked at his partner, high above him. ... is give your enemy time to prepare.
Rainbow Dash grabbed a nearby cloud and formed it into a specific message.
33, huh? It's almost like he's going easy on us. Sandbar walked through the gate. Preparation paves the way to victory. Two holes appeared to his sides before quickly covering themselves up.
The enemy Stand user stood in the middle of the graves. "What? Since when could he do that?"
Rainbow watched from above. "That bird was to test our abilities, wasn't it? It was a pretty pathetic test. We barely had to use our Stands to defeat it. All our enemy did was reveal that they exist."
The enemy changed expressions, not that anyone could see it. "Whatever. It doesn't matter at all! You've already walked right into my trap!"
Four waves appeared from the earth around Sandbar, forcing themselves away from him. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish. My Stand has no precision, but you're making me feel less and less like I need it."
"What's up with this boy? He's in a losing situation, but he's acting he's already won."
Sandbar took a few steps towards the enemy.
"Is he coming towards me? Can he see me? No. He has to be wandering around, hoping to find me. There's no way he can see me."
Sandbar continued to walk forward, his hoofs leaving prints in the softened earth.
"Not that he'll ever reach me, now that all of my zombies have him surrounded."
The army of zombies rushed towards Sandbar, most of them leaping through the air.
Sandbar stopped. "Useless."
Rainbow quietly watched from above.
The zombies all piled on, clawing and gnawing at the center of the pile.
The enemy Stand User stepped forward, his claws leaving imprints on the ground. "I won." He caught sight of a shadow, causing him to focus on the mare above him.
And not the ground below him.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The invisible Stand User stared at the mare above him. "I know you're a Stand User, girly. It is your turn to act. What will you do? Come at me and die? Or lead me to your home?"
Rainbow simply stared at her enemy. Confidence leads to action. Overconfidence leads to defeat. Whoever you are, you're overconfident. You haven't moved from that spot. That means you haven't noticed your loss yet.
The enemy smirked invisibly. "Come on down, missy. It's your turn." He kept his eyes on her as she slowly drifted upwards. At least, from his perspective.
His smile lasted until it was too late.
His eyes shot wide as he looked down. "WHAT?" He was up to his knees in the dirt. He tried to pull them as hard as possible, but they wouldn't budge.
"You finally noticed, didn't you?"
His eyes snapped to the small mound nearby. The one with the eye poking out of it. A moment later, the dirt created a column, rapidly raising him in the air. As he went skyward, the dirt also climbed his body, trapping him further.
As soon as the column peaked, Sandbar shot up it, landing on the top. "You didn't realize the problem? The ground in the cemetery was soft enough for everything to leave prints. Furthermore, your zombies were all ponies, while you are a dragon. It made it too easy to pick your prints out from your zombies."
"The prints?" The dragon gasped. "You mean, you softened the earth to see where my zombies were? And where I was?"
"And if I had died, you would have known immediately, since the ten-mile deep sinkhole I made would have eaten you and your zombies up in an instant, leaving you unable to escape."
"What? When did you... That's right! You stopped outside of the cemetery gate! You created the sinkhole before entering the cemetery! How is your Stand so powerful?"
Sandbar's nose scrunched a bit. "Since you're about to die, I'll tell you two things."
"Why aren't you responding to me? Why are you ignoring what I'm saying?"
"First of all, my Stand only lets me create waves from the earth. But I've found that, by making them big enough and layering them, I can make them last past my normal range, and by making them small enough and, again, layering them, I can make things like this column. Beyond that, I can layer these waves on my hooves to give my punches more power. Simply put, I can only make waves in the earth, but I can jury rig them to do what I need to with the earth around me."
"Are you unable to hear me?" The dragon looked at his hands. "Is this an effect of my Stand? Is it because I'm dead?"
"Secondly, this is the only cemetery that my town buries its dead in. A few years back, I had a precious friend to me. I would even say we were lovers, but she never said anything about love to me, so I don't know. Then, one day, she disappeared. I never heard from her again, and I never heard anything about her after that. I have to assume she's dead. And since this is the only place she could be buried, I have to believe that you raised her for the sole purpose of attacking me. And that pisses me off."
"So what? It's not like I killed her, you shit!"
Dirt covered Sandbar's hooves. "I feel like that's as bad as killing her if you weren't the one to kill her in the first place. I know it's probably not true, but I'm blaming you for her death anyway. Because it will make it more satisfying when I do THIS !" Sandbar punctuated that last word with a blow across the dragon's face.
"Guh! That hurt!"
"And THIS!" Sandbar brought his other hoof across the dragon's face, which was now clearly visible due to the dirt on it.
The look of fury in Sandbar's eyes was one Rainbow never saw before.
"AND THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS! AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS!"
Sandbar continued his assault, but the dragon no longer saw Sandbar. He saw someone from his past. "BIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTCH!"
"AND NOW!" Sandbar raised his hoof over his head, with three pillars of earth rising up behind him. "ENJOY YOUR ETERNAL TOMB! TEN MILES BELOW THE EARTH!"
Sandbar brought his hoof and the pillars down on the dragon, freeing the dragon from his bindings but putting him on a one-way collision course with the ground. A few moments later, the dragon was crushed between the ground and the earth above him. Sandbar went under with him.
Rainbow watched as the hoofprints the zombies left turned into smudges in the dirt, smoke rising up from each one. "We did it."
Author's Note
AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow landed near some of the divets in the ground. She reached her hoof in, disrupting some of the dirt inside. "Sandbar?"
There wasn't a response.
Rainbow bit her lip. "Sandbar?"
"I'm here." A mound of dirt raised from the ground before rolling off of Sandbar's back. He looked around. "Heh. What a mess. Mind flying up for a second?"
Rainbow lifted her body off the ground. "Hey, about what you said to that guy."
"It's alright." Sandbar sent a small wave across the cemetery, removing all of the divets and prints. "I've already gotten over it."
"That's not what I mean." Rainbow planted her hooves on the ground again. "This isn't the first time you've mentioned her, but this is the first time I've seen you respond that viciously."
"Yeah. I guess I've just been letting it gnaw at me. It's fine though. I just need some-"
Rainbow pressed her hoof against her partner's nose. "It's not fine. You need to talk about it. It's been gnawing at you because you haven't let it out. And using her as an excuse to beat up everyone you don't like is not healthy."
"Well, it's not like I can talk to anyone about it! You're the only other Stand User I-"
"Then talk to me! We're friends! We've known each other for a year and a half now!" Rainbow put her wing over Sandbar's back. "Why don't you talk to me?"
Sandbar looked at her, then away from her. "It's just... hard for me to deal with."
"So don't deal with it alone. I'll lend you my ear. Any time."
"Thanks." Sandbar stumbled into Rainbow. "But later. I need to rest right now."
"That's fair." Rainbow led Sandbar away, leaving no trace of the battle that just happened.
Spike looked at Twilight as she entered the dining room. "Uh oh. Another sleepless night?"
Twilight sat down. "I can't get that thing that's been bothering me off of my mind."
Spike pointed his fork at Twilight. "So why don't you talk about it?"
Twilight's wings popped out. "It's not something I can just talk about! If what I learned is true it could tear Equestria apart!"
Spike raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."
"Not this time." Twilight quickly downed a ton of food. "I'm going to Canterlot. I need to talk to Celestia."
Spike dropped his fork. "Woah. Hold on, Twilight. Can't you put it off for one more day? I normally would be all for it, but there's a lot going on today already."
"The agriculture meeting, Princess Skystar's visit, and Rarity's surgery are all today."
Twilight sighed. "I know, Spike, but four days is long enough. I can't keep putting this off."
Starlight didn't even lower her newspaper. "Nice to know you still acknowledge me."
Spike hopped out of his seat as Twilight headed to the door. "Can't you tell me what's bothering you?"
Twilight looked over her shoulder. "No, Spike. I wouldn't even trust Pinkie with this kind of secret."
"Oh, geez. That bad, huh? Well, I'll let Celestia know you're on your way."
"Thanks." Twilight headed out of her castle. The things she heard the other night were still echoing through her head, especially what the parrot said about the Stand Hunter, who had killed numerous Stand Users. But what really stood out to her, what kept her up ever since, was the note she was given.
Celestia is the Stand Hunter.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Celestia sat in her throne and smiled, but she was screaming on the inside. Royal duties were very important, but she would rather be out chasing monsters. Why couldn't Luna handle the day court for once?
Oh, wait. She did . It resulted in a full month of damage control.
"As such, your highness, I believe that it would be best to repeal the housing location act you implemented last year."
It had been four years since she implemented that act, and the stallion before her recited the exact same spiel every year thinking she wouldn't notice that. Or maybe he thought she would eventually forget he was reciting the same things over and over again and agree for who knows what reason.
Celestia kept the smile on her face to the best of her ability. "I will consider it."
"Thank you, your highness." The stallion left. Many of them were the same. They don't take rejection well, so she just smiled and nodded while rejecting them in her head and refused to comply behind their backs. Something they wouldn't learn until later.
"Princess Twilight has arrived."
Celestia nodded. "Send her in."
Twilight came through the doors, making it halfway through the room before stumbling a bit.
Celestia's face twisted at the sight. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
Twilight shook her head. "I haven't gotten any sleep since the night of the Gala."
"Oh. I see." Celestia smiled for a second, then her expression dropped. "Oh. I see. Guards, we need some privacy."
The guards all looked at each other, then vacated the room, leaving the two princesses alone.
Celestia sighed. "Are you coming to me because you developed a Stand?"
"No. Would it bother you if I did?"
Celestia bit her lip. "Only because of the curse."
"You mean the fact that Stand Users are drawn to each other?" Twilight's eye twitched. "That would sure make it easy to find and imprison every Stand User you can, huh?"
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "I suppose if someone wanted to, but they would have to be pretty powerful to take them down."
Twilight glared at Celestia. "In combat? Or politically?"
Celestia's jaw dropped. "Where is this coming from, Twilight? Even for being tired, that was needlessly aggressive!"
Twilight let a sharp breath out her nose. "After you left the donut shop, somepony came in and explained the Stand Hunter to us. Then they left me a note with a bit more information."
The princess of the sun stared at her former student... then burst out laughing. "And it made you believe I am the Stand Hunter? Do you realize how absurd that sounds?" Celestia stood up and approached Twilight. "Twilight, my faithful student and fellow princess, I have to keep tabs on anything happening in the world of Stand Users, so I know about the Stand Hunter. I would never harm my subjects, no matter what kind of powers they have." Celestia put her hoof under Twilight's chin. "I've never given you a reason to distrust-"
Twilight smacked Celestia's hoof away. "Don't touch me."
Celestia's jaw went limp.
Silence hung between them.
After almost a minute, Celestia swallowed. "Twilight. Get some rest. Your room here is still available, but I really don't care where you sleep. Once you've gotten a full nights rest, come back, then we can talk."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Fine." She turned around and left.
Once Twilight was gone, Celestia slightly scowled. "He said something to her. That liar."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Twilight walked out of the throne room. That lip bite. She may not know it, but that's a sign she's lying. Which means she's either not worried about who I'll meet, or she's worried about something other than that.
"How did it go?"
Twilight stopped. "Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to see how you handled that information I gave you."
Twilight glared at the parrot. "Is there a reason you told me that?"
The parrot approached her. "I know about the connection you and Celestia share. To be honest, it's hard to find someone that doesn't know. If there's anyone that can convince her to change, it's you."
"And what if I don't want to change her?"
The parrot leaned down and placed his beak near Twilight's ear. "Then I hope you don't care about Rainbow Dash that much."
"Mister Blues." One of the guards approached the pair. "The princess would like to speak to you."
"Understood." With that, the parrot walked away.
Twilight stared at him. He's lying. He has to be. But if he is, what was Celestia hiding?
Twilight turned to leave when she noticed something.
Celestia. Facing a hallway.
What? But... Twilight looked through the doors to the throne room as they closed. Celestia's still in there! Twilight looked back at the second Celestia. So who is that?
The fake Celestia started walking down the hall.
"Hey! Wait!" Twilight chased after them. She rounded the corner, seeing them a good distance down the hall. How did they move so fast? "Hey! Who are you?"
They didn't respond, simply tapping on the wall in a specific manner.
Is that a Stand User? Twilight charged at them.
She was halfway to them when they stepped towards the wall, disappearing from sight. Twilight skid to a stop where they were. She gasped.
The wall had opened up, revealing a set of stairs leading down.
What is this? I've never seen this before! And I've come down this hall many times while staying here! More importantly, where is that creature? Was that a changeling? Twilight bit her lip and headed down the stairs. Changeling or not, I have to find that creature. I need to find out who they are and why they looked like Celestia.
At the bottom of the stairs was a hallway. Long, dark, and damp. Twilight lit her horn up a bit, revealing mold and bugs littering the top and bottom of the walls.
The alicorn swallowed and stepped forward. I don't want to be here, but I can't let them get away.
As Twilight walked down the hallway, it seemed to grow longer and longer. Twilight felt her heart rate rise as her forehead grew damp. She found no sign of the being that she saw earlier.
After what felt like forever, she came across a doorway. Her eye twitched as she peeked inside.
Twilight felt a chill down her spine.
At the far end of the room was a tube, glowing with a green light.
Veins were bunched up at the top and bottom of the tube.
The mass at the top had an orb that looked like an eye.
Twilight stepped in, missing the figure that was watching her from beside the door.
The eye in the mass closed.
There was something inside of the tube.
She stepped closer.
She squinted. "Are those..."
One more step.
"You shouldn't be here."
Author's Note
Now seems like a very good and not at all out of place time to remind people that I have a Patreon .
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Well, Blues? What do you have to say for yourself?"
The parrot didn't stop smiling. "So you're saying I lied to your student? How would I benefit from that?"
Celestia let out a sigh. "I know you've been looking for some leverage on me. Why, I can't comprehend."
The parrot bowed. "I have no intent to harm your former student." He lifted his head, a lopsided smile on his face. "You can look through your heart's eyes."
Celestia raised her eyebrow then closed her eyes.
The guards looked at each other. "You better not be lying. The princess-"
Celestia's eyes snapped wide open as she bared her teeth. "YOU LEAD HER THERE? ARE YOU MAD?"
The parrot chuckled. "Care to elaborate?"
Celestia responded with a growl, then leaped from her throne towards the door.
"Your highness!"
The parrot raised his claw, his smile gone. "Let her go. She needs to speak with Twilight about where she can and can't go." He watched Celestia practically burst through the doors. I've done all I can. My life is in your hooves, Princess Twilight.
Celestia made a beeline for the door Twilight went through earlier. How did she get through the door? I'm the only one that should know it's there! Let alone how to open it! Wait. His Stand! He used his Stand to let her through! She skid to a stop next to the open door before shooting down the stairs. I'm throwing him in the dungeons for this!
As she rushed down the hall, she took a few deep breaths. As the door at the end drew closer, she slowed down and forced her face to display a muted expression. I can't let Twilight learn too much. She stepped through the doorway. "You shouldn't be here."
Twilight didn't turn around. "What is this?"
"Nothing you need to be concerned about, Twilight." Celestia approached Twilight. "Come. It's not safe to-"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Twilight leered at Celestia. "Not until I get some answers!"
Celestia opened her mouth, then bit her lip. "In that case, I'll tell you the truth."
"No, you won't! I know when you're going to lie to me, you bitch!" The moment the word left Twilight's mouth, she flinched. Did I just...
Celestia stared at Twilight for a moment before wiping a tear from her eye. "Twilight Sparkle. I don't know why you're being so hostile while I've been nothing but hospitable. Get as much sleep as you need! Spend as much time away from me as you want! But I don't want you, of all creatures, to hate me!"
"Then answer me one question. Is Rainbow Dash going to be targeted by the Stand Hunter?"
Celestia's jaw was shaking. Did she just trap me? If I say yes, she'll lose all trust in me. If I say no, she'll know I can control who the Stand Hunter targets. And she knows some quirk I have whenever I lie, so I can't say I don't know. Celestia looked at the objects in the tube at the other side of the room. Is she acting like this because of those? The arrows?
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The parrot walked down the hallway at a steady pace. He could hear the princesses talking at the end of the hall. If anything went wrong, he wanted to be there so he could know immediately.
"Well, Celestia?"
"I'll answer if you answer my question."
He hid behind the doorframe, barely peeking to see what was happening.
"Why are you being so hostile?"
The parrot looked below Twilight. Well, I already see a possible reason why.
"Rainbow Dash has a Stand and three of my other friends will probably get one sooner or later. So I'm clearly going to be worried about who the Stand Hunter is targeting."
Twilight turned around as Celestia dropped her head and ears, only for her ears to perk right back up.
"And this... thing. Is this a Stand? Is this your Stand?" Twilight looked back at Celestia. "Are you going to answer me?"
"Twilight."
A "vein" shot below Twilight, then whipped out from under her, slamming something against the wall without making a sound.
"Of course I will answer you. But I need you to calm down first."
Twilight opened her mouth, then closed her mouth and eyes. "Alright. I'll try to stay calm."
A humanoid Stand picked up the object slammed against the wall. How long has this Stand been here? It seems like it was the reason Twilight turned so aggressive, but was it influencing me as well? The small Stand wiggled around in the humanoid Stand's grasp, prompting the humanoid Stand to crush it. It wasn't very tough. Hopefully, that's the end of that. Let's just hope cleaning up its mess is just as easy.
Celestia sighed. "I suppose I should start with the obvious. That tube back there. I assume you've already figured this out, but that is my Stand. I call it Heart. The tube itself is unbreakable, and I can create up to five of them at a time. I can only create them at a short-range, but they don't seem to go away no matter how far away I get. Furthermore, I can control those vines at the top and base."
Twilight looked at the weird masses attached to the tube and tilted her head. "Vines?"
Celestia giggled. "What did you think those were? Lumps of flesh?" Celestia walked towards Twilight. "When my Stand was born, I had just lost someone. Someone that was as close to me as you are. When that happened, I swore to myself that I wouldn't let anyone harm someone so close to me ever again. From that strong desire, my Heart was born. When someone awakens a Stand while they have a strong desire, that Stand typically has abilities to help fulfill that desire."
Twilight swallowed.
"Is something wrong?"
"Well, there's no way for you to do that. To protect everyone would require you to have eyes everywhere."
"I do."
Twilight's head whipped around. "Excuse me?"
"Almost all Stand Users that are currently known are under my employment, such as Blues or Sandbar. Even Rainbow Dash works for my cause, even if she doesn't know it. After all, she helped prevent a zombie apocalypse from hitting Ponyville."
"But what about the Stand Hunter? Wouldn't they just try to take all of them out?"
"Didn't I just address this? Almost all Stand Users that are currently known are under my employment. Including the Stand Hunter."
Author's Note
Stand: Heart
"An enemy Stand caused all of this?" Like it would have been anything else.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Twilight looked Celestia in the eye. "Pardon?"
Celestia's ears folded back. "Yeah, that sounds bad. I just promised to give you a reason to trust me and I tell you that. The important thing to note is that it's me we're talking about here. Do you really think I'll order someone to go around and kill creatures for no good reason? You've seen how dangerous Stand Users can be."
"Right. Grey Fly was able to kill thousands without drawing any suspicion toward himself."
"So you can imagine what would happen if twenty creatures were actively doing that level of damage at the same time, right? We would ideally leave them alive and rehabilitate them, but their Stands make it either dangerous or outright impossible to imprison them even in Tartarus. There's... something else that leaves me little hope for rehabilitation."
Twilight tilted her head. "Something else?"
"Sorry, it's... not something you should learn about. I'll tell you in time, but not right now."
Twilight glared at the wall.
"I know. You aren't comfortable with secrets right now, but it's not something that even I need to know about. Regardless, you understand why I have the Stand Hunter now, right?"
Twilight nodded. "To kill off Stand Users that would otherwise wipe out hundreds, even thousands, of innocent creatures." Once she finished speaking, she let out a heavy sigh.
"If it'll help, I do have a list of his victims that you can look at later, if you want."
"That would be for the best." Twilight's eyes started to droop. "What are those arrows? They feel... strange."
"According to some creatures I know, those are Stand Arrows. They're formed from ore mined from meteorites for the sole purpose of giving creatures Stands. Why someone would want there to be more Stands, that's anyone's guess. I had only heard of them when I first saw one hit somepony. A young mare that worked as a maid in the castle. It only broke her skin, but she fell into convulsions and died three hours later. I told her family that she fell victim to poisoning. I had to keep the truth of the arrows a secret from as many as I could. Even among those that know of the arrows, you two are the only ones that know where I'm hiding these three."
"Two?"
"So you knew I was here." The parrot stepped into the room. "When did you notice?"
Celestia turned around. "I figured that you would show up sooner or later. After all, you led Twilight here." She nodded towards the wall the Stand from before was thrown against.
He stepped up to the two princesses and kneeled before them. "Forgive me. I overstepped my boundary, and caused all of this trouble."
Celestia glanced back at the wall. "It's alright. I don't think it caused too much trouble, and the trouble it did cause was easily resolved."
"Yeah. It's nothing to worry about, Leone."
The parrot hung his head for a moment before raising it and his eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Twilight." Celestia also raised her eyebrow. "Why did you call him Leone?"
"Uh... Well..." Twilight rubbed her front legs together. "I... thought that was his name?"
"Your highness." The parrot stood up. "Celestia calls me Blues. The other guards call me Blues. Since I arrived in Equestria, I've only ever gone by the name Blues. So how did you know my real name?"
Author's Note
Oh? What's this? Well, you probably recognize the name Leone... if you keep up with Japanese releases of the official Jojo manga.
Yeah, if you limited yourself to American releases, anime or manga, you might want to stop reading now. Parts 5 and 6 spoilers incoming.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Indeed. My name is Leone. Leone Abbacchio. In my past, I was an officer of the law in a corrupt world. That is, until the day I took a bribe that resulted in my partner dying. I was discharged for accepting the bribe, and that eventually led me to a gang called Passione. Specifically, I was working under a man named Bruno Bucciarati, the only man I felt comfortable around. We worked to protect and collect protection money for the gang. Our last job, or at least my last job, was protecting a girl by the name of Trish Una. The daughter of Passione's boss."
"So why did you leave?"
"It's... not that simple. After killing a team of assassins that defected from our gang, we got Trish to her father. Bruno escorted her up to him alone. When they came out... it wasn't good. Our boss tried to kill both Trish and Bruno, only failing because our newest member stepped in when he did. After that, we defected to protect Trish, which meant finding and killing the boss. Only one of us refused to follow along."
"What happened after that?"
"We went to his old home, Sardinia, to use my Stand and see if we could figure out his identity. While the rest of the team was looking into an apparent fight nearby, I stayed alone. That was a mistake. I helped a nearby group of kids get their ball out of a tree. One of them was the boss in disguise. His Stand gutted me. When I came to, I was in a cafe with an officer under my table, trying to find the truth of an assault that had happened there. He was my old partner."
"Leone... does that mean..."
"Yes. I had died. After looking over my team and seeing them get the death mask I left behind, I moved on. I thought I would go to Heaven. If I did, I don't remember it at all. My next memory was waking up here in Equestria, a completely different species. And not long after, I saw a mare getting robbed. Once I got over my shock, I rushed in to stop the robbery."
"I remember this. The robber was a Stand user, so the conflict quickly escalated to a Stand battle. The robber had to be put down on-site, though not before killing two of our guards. Leone was brought before me, where I offered him a position among my guards. He took it, calling himself Blues."
"My Stand... If I can't trust you, who can I trust? My Stands is Moody Blues, hence my alias. It's able to rebroadcast a creature's actions. I've so far gotten it to go as far back as 15 years ago."
"Hold on. You said you were a completely different species. What were you before becoming a parrot?"
"... I was a human."
"A what? Is that some kind of fish?"
"Humans don't exist in Equestria. They're bipedal, like Blues- er, Leone, but that's all I know about them."
"Let me see if I can replicate my old appearance with Moody Blues."
...
"Is that what you used to look like?"
"Yes. My skin was a consistent color under the clothes, and my feet had five toes. That's all that you need to know but can't see."
"Remember when I mentioned that there's something about most Stand Users that make me unwilling to try to rehabilitate them? It's because they're typically too stubborn to change their personalities. Not because they had Stands. Because they used to be humans."
"Are humans really that stubborn?"
"Not all of them, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that would cause enough destruction to draw our attention but still be willing to change for the better."
"I see."
"Twilight, how did you know his real name?"
"... I'm... not sure. I just looked at him earlier and thought to myself, 'Yup. That's Leone.' I don't know how I... how I... Ugh..."
"Twilight?"
"Sorry. I got a bit dizzy all of a sudden. That's all."
"Right. You haven't gotten any sleep at all, have you? Come. Let's get you to bed."
"You said that I can sleep here, right?"
"Of course. Let's get you to your old room."
Author's Note
"OMG! Twinkle Sprinkle doesn't know what human is? What about Equestria Girls?"
What about it? It's not canon to this story. Simple as that.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
*Vreeee... Vroooo...*
"Hmm... This isn't good. That Stand didn't tear them apart at all. In fact, it seems to have brought them closer together."
*Vreeee... Vroooo...*
"It was so clever too. Hmm..."
*Vreeee... Vroooo...*
"Should I send a Stand to kill one or both of them?"
*Vre. Vro. Vre. Vro.*
"Mmm... Nah. It's not like they can find me here."
*Vre Vro. Vre Vro.*
"Heck, they probably don't even realize something is happening yet."
*Vre Vro Vre Vro.*
"Even if they do, they might just think it's some other bad guy. They can't even learn of my existence."
*Vrevrevrevrevrevrevrevre*
"Hehehe. This is the best feeling. Equestria... will become my masterpiece."
Celestia tapped the wall twice, and the door slid shut. The three creatures silently nodded at each other.
"What do you mean she's missing? We need to find her immediately!"
The three of them looked down the hall. "Uh oh. That was Luna."
"She sounds mad."
They moved in the direction of the voice. Luna was glaring at a guard that was bowing to her. As her fellow princesses approached, her glare turned to them. "There you are! Where have you been? We've had guards running around looking for you!"
Celestia winced. "I'm sorry. Some-"
"Not you! Twilight!"
"Me? Why?"
Starlight suddenly ran up beside Luna. "Twilight! Uh, the good news is that everyone is currently alive."
Twilight raised her eyebrow, taking a moment to respond. "What do you mean by 'good news?' WAIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'CURRENTLY?'"
Leone looked at the moon princess. "Did something happen in Ponyville?"
"That's... one way of putting it. Come. You should all know what happened." Luna turned around and headed back towards the throne room, everyone else right behind her.
Once everyone was in the throne room, Luna shut the doors and cast a spell on them. Looking at what had appeared since she left, Twilight could tell why.
On the left side of the room was a cage with a large cloth over it, the bottom inches only barely visible. A stallion and a colt that looked familiar to Twilight stood near it, looking at Celestia as she entered. Just beyond that was a large group of varied creatures, including one Twilight had only read about.
On the other side of the room were her friends. All of them seemed either tired or distracted. At least, of the four she could see. She then looked further in the room.
There was a white tent with red crosses on each side and a sterilization field around it. The tent was designed to be set up and then moved somewhere else, usually because the original location was deemed unsafe. It was typically reserved for absolute emergencies.
"What happened?"
"A lot happened, Twilight." Rainbow Dash looked at her. "A lot happened."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rarity grunted and clutched her side.
Rainbow promptly draped a wing over her back. "It's okay, Rarity. Just another hour or two, and it'll be over."
Rarity nodded. "Assuming the surgery goes right."
"Hey, the guy may be new to Ponyville, but he's been practicing for years now. There's nothing to worry about. This guy knows what he's doing." At least, from what I've heard.
"Yeah. I suppose so."
Rainbow looked at the hospital as they approached it. This is nerve-wracking. If any Stand Users interrupt the surgery, I won't be able to do much about it. I've been on edge since I learned that my friends are potentially Stand Users. They might attract other Stand Users but won't have a way to defend themselves. The best they can do is run away until help arrives, and that might not always be an option.
"Are you alright, darling?"
Rainbow looked at Rarity. "I'm fine." Rainbow pushed open the door to the hospital.
"Which is why it may be for the best that the surgery is done in..." A large, green stallion turned from the counter to the two mares. "Oh. Hello there."
"Hel... lo... Urgh." Rarity suddenly stumbled.
"Rarity!" Rainbow helped her friend into a seated position.
"I'll be fine. That was just... hunger."
The stallion walked over lifted Rarity onto his back. "Then we should hurry the surgery along. Both for your infection and your stomach."
Rarity giggled. "O-of course."
The stallion carried Rarity through the door leading back, slamming it in Rainbow's face.
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry about him." The mare at the counter leaned over it to look at Rainbow. "He can be pretty rude to anypony that's not a patient or doctor."
Rainbow bit her lip. "I just want to make sure-"
"It's alright. He may be rude, but Cioccolata is a great surgeon. Rarity's in good hooves."
Rainbow looked at the door.
"Why don't you walk around outside for a bit? Just to clear your head."
"... Alright."
"Can you believe it? Skystar is coming to visit me! Me! I can't wait to show her around Ponyville! Oh my gosh! It's her first time seeing my home! It's so cool! She's finally coming here! My penpal is coming to visit me! Oh my gosh! She's my penpal! That means I'm best friends with a princess! A princess! Can you believe I'm friends with a princess?"
Maud stared at her sister. "Yes."
"I mean, it's super crazy to think about! Being friends with royalty is super rare! Oh, wait. I'm friends with Twilight, right? I was friends with her before she became a princess. But that's super cool too! Being friends with someone that became a princess! Can you imagine if I became a princess? Princess Pinkie Pie! Princess of Parties! Ponies would feel so happy around me!"
Maud's eye twitched. "They'd feel something alright."
"Hey! There's Skystar! Why is she going away from town? She must be lost. Oh, well. I'll help her find Ponyville real fast! Just wait right here! I'll be right back!"
Maud watched as Pinkie bounced towards the semi-distant Hippogriff. "Alright."
Oh, Skystar. You silly filly. You're going the wrong way! Wait. Pinkie slowed down and started walking. What's that around her neck?
Author's Note
Strap in. This arc's going to be a doozy.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Are we all in agreeance?"
Every pony in attendance nodded.
Mayor Mare nodded. "Very well. Those of you receiving increased funding will see that change starting next pay period."
Strawberry Sunrise leered at Applejack. "And let's be thankful the Apple Family isn't asking for more money. They've been receiving plenty of it from their royal friends."
Applejack returned the expression. "I don't use Twilight to get money."
A waiter brought the ponies various drinks. Applejack was the first to drink hers.
Golden Harvest looked across the table. "You know, Strawberry, with how vicious you can get, I'm glad you aren't targeting me."
"But your carrots are fine." Strawberry shot Applejack a puffy-cheeked smile. "Unlike those horrible, terrible apples."
APPLES AREN'T TERRIBLE! Applejack slammed her hooves on the table. "APPLES ARE TERRIBLE!"
It took everyone a moment to process what just happened, Applejack herself being the last one to realize it.
"Um. Buh." What did I just say?
Several of the attendees burst out laughing. Mayor Mare was struggling to keep her own laughter back. "That was a pretty bad slip of the tongue, eh."
Applejack sat down and hung her head.
"And Miss Sunrise, I suggest you pull back your jesting. Unless you don't want that funding increase you asked for."
Strawberry let out a sigh. "Apple ponies have tough skin. She's fine."
You're annoying. "You're fine." Once again, Applejack was the last to realize what she just said.
"Oh, don't tell me!" Strawberry held her hoof over her mouth. "Oh, don't tell me!"
Grand Pear looked at his granddaughter. "Applejack, did somepony slip you a lying potion?"
Well, duh. "I highly doubt that." Applejack's cheeks turned red as she slapped her hoof to her mouth.
The room suddenly sounded like a hyena den. Mayor Mare looked at her paperwork. "Well, at least didn't happen before the meeting. There's no reason to prolong discussions. You're free to go."
Applejack bolted out of the room. What the hay? Why would somepony do that? Give me a darn break! Did Strawberry do that to humiliate me? Ugh. I'm going to Zecora. I'll see if she has something that will help. Applejack had only just started heading to the forest when she realized something. Is there something on my tongue? She froze in place. What if it's not a poison, but... a Stand?
The waiter left the town hall and headed towards another stallion.
Two minutes. Rainbow took another glance at the hospital. I'll just walk around for two minutes, then I'll head back. I don't trust that surgeon. Who knows what he'll try. She turned down an alleyway. That guy. I've heard good things about him, but meeting him face to face makes me worried about what he's really like.
Rainbow let out a sigh before something caught her eye. "Has this mirror always been here?"
After staring into the mirror for a moment, she realized something about the mirror and turned around. The sign on the building behind her was backwords.
"A Stand!"
"Hehehe." A changeling approached her. "You don't say."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow stared the Changeling down. "Who are you?"
The creature chuckled. "My name is Illusio, and you are already trapped by my Stand."
Rainbow snarled. "Are you after Rarity?"
"Rarity? No. I don't even know who that is. I just learned that you are a pony of stature among the Stand Users in this world. If I take you out, I'll earn a lot of respect from any other Stand Users I encounter."
Rainbow's expression when flat for a full second before she laughed. "Really? You think you can take me on? I probably don't even need my Stand to take you out."
Illusio frowned. "I think you're underestimating what I'm capable-"
Rainbow's hoof suddenly connected with his face.
What the hell? She was at least eight meters away! How did she move that fast?
"You only know me as 'Rainbow Dash the Stand User.' You don't know me for any of my real feats." Rainbow landed on the ground. "In fact..." She turned around, looking at the floored changeling. "You don't even know what the Wonderbolts are, do you? Mister former human?"
Illusio got up and wiped the blood from his chin. "Wh-what? How did you know I was human?"
"At first I needed my partner to tell me, but after a while, I realized that there were certain things that can point to someone being a former human. The most telling is that you're a changeling coming after me in your normal form."
"Changeling? Normal form?" Illusio looked at his hoof, then turned into a pony. "Oh."
Rainbow put her hoof to her face.
Illusio shook his head and turned back to his real form. "That doesn't matter! How did you move so fast? You shouldn't have been able to close the distance like that without me noticing!"
"Noticing what?" Rainbow was suddenly behind him. "My movements? Most ponies can't keep up with them."
Illusio turned around and stumbled away from Rainbow.
"This isn't a Stand ability. This is my natural speed. And this is why I said I don't need my Stand to deal with you. If this is all your Stand can do..."
Illuso stepped back a bit. Enough to bump into Rainbow, who moved behind him again.
"... then I've already won."
Skystar had no idea where she was going, but she didn't like it. It wasn't long after she got off the train that she felt something around her neck. While she didn't see anything, her body had started moving on its own, leading her into the forest nearby. She had tried to scream for help, but her voice was caught in her throat. If anyone had seen her, they simply let her walk away.
She suddenly came to a stop. Somehow, it was even more unnerving than her walk to this point.
"Hello, bird pony."
Skystar looked up. A canid creature stood before her, twice her size and on its hind legs.
"What wrong? Never see a diamond dog before?"
Pinkie hid behind a tree. That's one of the dogs that kidnapped Rarity forever ago! This is bad!
She failed to notice the trail of confetti she left behind her.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Remember, we're trying to kidnap her, not kill her." The pony dressed as a waiter watched his mark from the shadows. "You shouldn't go for a lethal blow."
"Lower legs at most, I know."
"And we can't blow our cover, so no killing anyone for now. There will be plenty of time for that later."
"And that's the part that sucks."
"Howdy, sis!" A little filly trotted up to their mark. "Where are ya going?"
Applejack bit her lip. If I say anything, she might take it the wrong way. I can explain it later, but I don't want to risk our last conversation being told through lies.
Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Are you okay? Oh! You're going to see Rarity, right? I'm sure she'll be happy if you visit her!"
Applejack nodded. Or tried to at least. Crud! That was a shake!
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. "Then where are you going? Do you need Rainbow for something?"
"Apple Bloom!" Grand Pear called from somewhere behind Applejack. "Could you come here for a minute? I need some help, and you might be small enough."
"Sure thing!" Apple Bloom moved past Applejack. "See ya later, sis!"
"Wait." One of the potential kidnappers saw something. "That filly just moved past a puddle. I can get Clash into it. Have our mark call that filly back. If they know each other, we might be able to scare her into avoiding any contact with others."
"Right." The fake waiter watched his partner's stand poke out from the puddle... then clutched his head and fell over.
"Tiziano!" His partner pulled him up. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I don't know. That pain just now. That might have been her Stand."
"No, it wasn't."
Both stallions turned around. A young mare stood behind them, her coat light lavender, and her mane two shades of purple.
"Would you like my help?"
"... Mmm... Ngh..."
Rarity's eyes slowly opened. There was a bright light above her, and stabbing pain in her stomach.
It... hurts? But the surgeon is supposed to be.
*Squish squish*
What's that... sound?
Rarity looked down at her body. She was still wearing a gas mask, and the surgeon was hovering over her body.
Is he... still working?
"Kehe. Kehehehe."
He's... laughing? Why? What is he... Is that a... A Stand? Is he... a Stand User?
"Hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe this! How many ponies do I have to kill before they realize they aren't accidents? Twenty? Thirty? I'm willing to push that number as far as I can!"
He's going to... kill me? He's completely insane! Rarity looked at the nearby canisters. I'm going to hate myself for this, but I'm as good as dead otherwise.
"Hehehe... Hm?" Cioccolata looked at Rarity's face. "I thought I heard something just now. Come to think of it, shouldn't she be awake by now? Did I mess something up?"
Rarity kept her eyes as close to closed as possible but tried to keep them open.
Cioccolata stared for a moment before smiling. "Well, let's see how unconscious you really are." He approached her face with a scalpel. "You won't be needing those eyelids soon enough."
Rarity watched as the blade approached her eyes. Once the sadistic surgeon's blade was an inch from her eye, it suddenly spun around, stabbed the surgeon's hoof, and yanked it away from Rarity's face.
He glared at his "patient." "You're awake. You're very much awake."
Author's Note
Four stories, no waiting. This is how I'm going to write this, and I expect that number in the title to reach double digits.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Pinkie was biting her lip. Her back was pressed against the tree she was hiding behind. This is bad! He's got Skystar! I can't fight him head-on, but I can't let him do what he wants with her! Who knows what he'll do!
Skystar yelped as her body was splayed out on the ground.
The dog leaned down. "Big Dog Daddy won't let Rover's targets move at all. Not unless Rover makes them move."
Pinkie quickly moved to a different tree, making sure Rover didn't see or hear her. Circle... huh? Pinkie rummaged through her mane. Circle? Why did I think that all of a sudden? Was that because of the Occhio Futuro? She pulled out a small stone. This stone. Maud gave it to me as a parting gift when I first left home. I hadn't realized what it was at first, so I thought my spasms were some medical problem. Once I learned why those spasms started happening, I started figuring out what each "sign" meant. But never has a sign been that clear. But what does it mean by circle?
Confetti laid on the ground below her.
The two stallions stared at the mare. "Why do you want to help us? Do you even know what we're doing?"
"You're trying to capture Applejack to hold her for ransom. That way, you can get a ton of money that you can use to start a new life elsewhere. As former Passione members, you're used to killing your targets, so kidnapping should be easy, right?"
"You know about Passione?"
"But..." The mare moved to the end of the alley, staring at where Applejack was standing. "... it's not going to be that easy. Had you targeted one of the other Apple Family members or one of the other Elements of Harmony, you would have been able to use your tactic of forcing them to lie. But Applejack is the Element of Honesty. Now that the part of her that holds unwavering truth knows your power, your power will no longer work."
"Damn." Tiziano's partner stood up. "Maybe we should-"
"Hold on, Squalo. You still have two advantages."
Squalo turned around. "What?"
"First, she doesn't know she's immune to Tiziano's Stand. She's going to keep quiet until she knows she's not being affected by it regardless of how. Second, she has no idea who you two are. All she knows is that she's under attack from an enemy Stand. Your best chance of victory is to keep her away from her Stand using friend."
The two stallions stared at the mare. Squalo was the first to respond. "Tiziano, think we can use that?"
Tiziano put his hoof to his mouth. "Maybe. Come on. Let's keep an eye on our target."
The two stallions left. A third stallion approached the mare from deeper in the alley. "Why did you tell them that?"
"They have two futures laid out before them. In one, they become known as highly dangerous Stand Users, professionals at isolating and executing their targets. In the other, they kidnap Applejack. Which future awaits them depends entirely on them." The mare looked at Applejack, who was now quite distant. "And on her."
Author's Note
Stand: Big Dog Daddy
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Illusio slowly got to his hooves again. She's so fast! Was it a mistake to fight her? He turned towards the pegasus mare. Even without her wings, she's moving too fast for me to keep up with. Should I just give up?
Rainbow looked at the changeling. So he's able to throw parts of me back to the real world. While there is a way this could help, it definitely relies on chance. My legs should be strong enough for me to outspeed him with just two, but if I get down to one, I'm in trouble. To say nothing of if he takes all four of them away.
"Hey." Illusio righted himself. "Have you really had no use for your Stand? Do you really believe that you-"
"No, you don't." Rainbow kicked off the ground, shooting towards Illusio at Mach 1.
Illusio's eyes shot wide. "Man in the Mirror! Remove two of her legs!" His Stand came out and removed Rainbow's right front and left hind legs.
He took two. I'll be able to work with this, but I need to get back to Rarity! "Rainbow Connection!"
Illusio smiled. "You fell for it, foo-"
A serpentine figure shot out of Rainbow's mane.
"Wha-"
It smacked Illusio before he had a chance to properly respond. The moment he slammed into the wall, it slammed into him again, forcing Man in the Mirror to hold it back.
"How? Your Stand should have been left outside of the mirror world! How the hell did you bring it in?"
Rainbow skid to a stop on her hind leg then propped herself on her front leg. To be honest, I have no idea. For all intents and purposes, it makes no sense. But it's an advantage I'm willing to make use of!
*CRASH!*
Redheart was heaving, but what she needed was in reach. She quickly smacked it, sending out a signal to its "brother." She looked around the room she was in. More specifically, she looked at the mold that was suddenly lining the walls. "Get here. Fast."
Towards the top of the hospital, two ponies were struggling to take control of a scalpel.
"How are you this awake? The anesthesia should have kept you too weak to put up a fight."
Rarity glanced at the tanks. Specifically, at the valves she closed earlier. "Let's just say you shouldn't ever underestimate a lady."
Cioccolata started laughing again. "Right now, the mold that Green Day creates is spreading across the lower floors of this hospital. If you let me continue my work, I will remove the mold, saving those below us."
"So you can torture them as well? Fat chance. I happen to know that this situation will not end well for you, no matter how many you kill."
Cioccolata raised his eyebrow.
"Your best move is to start running. But if I know monsters like you, my best bet is to try to survive until fate catches up to you."
"Stupid bitch!" The surgeon pulled the scalpel back, causing Rarity to nearly fall off the table she was on. "You're already dead!" He trusted the blade towards the mare's eye.
*Rip*
Both of them were caught off guard. The scalpel pierced a floating paper doll.
"We are the Paper Angels." Several lines appeared on the doll for a moment, and the scalpel disappeared. "This mare is under our protection."
Author's Note
Stand: Paper Angels
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Skystar looked between the bushes. Who's leaving... that confetti? Why... aren't they... helping me? She suddenly got yanked into the air, causing her to scream into her closed beak. No! Not again!
Rover hung the hippogriff upside-down in front of him, a wicked smile on his face. "You know, girl, you quite cute. Have you kiss before?"
Skystar's eyes grew wide. No! Please don't!
"Pucker up."
Skystar kept her beak as shut as possible, but it was in vain. Her beak puckered. The dog pressed his lips to hers.
My... My first kiss... Why?
Pinkie's eye twitched at the sight. That bastard! He just stole her first kiss! If he can control even that much of her, then he can... can... Why didn't I stop him? Why am I just... just... Pinkie bit her lip as a tear ran down her cheek. I can't get close, because I'll just get captured myself, but I can't just leave because I don't know if they'll be here when I get back! I don't want to lose track of her! Why is this so stressful? Why am I making this stupid circle? What's so important about it?
She still had yet to see the confetti.
Rarity looked at the paper doll. "Are you..."
"Don't get us wrong. We didn't do it for your sake. We owe someone, and this is the best way to pay them back." Miles above the hospital, a unicorn hung upside-down from their hind legs, looking at the scalpel in front of them. "That's all."
Cioccolata snarled. "A single paper doll? Is this some kind of joke? You'll be easy to shred to bits!" He reached for several scalpels when he remembered something That guy Murolo. His Stand wasn't a single entity. And this Stand... He turned his head to see dozens of other paper dolls hovering just beside him. ... is just like his!
Half of the dolls formed a dome around Rarity.
"Green Day! Break that barrier!" The humanoid Stand punched at the paper dolls but failed to break through them. They layered themselves. They're already tough, but layering themselves on top of each other makes them much tougher. Should I drag someone here to lure her out? No. She knows what I'm like now. There's no way she'll fall for that. I'll just wait for these dolls to leave, then infect her to kill her slowly! He smiled. As slowly as I can!
Some of the angels grabbed things from around the hospital that then appeared inside of the barrier they made. "Don't worry. We'll put you back toge-"
Rarity suddenly grabbed the anatomy book and mirror that had appeared before quickly using her magic to rearrange the exposed parts of her insides, gritting her teeth and clutching the table the whole time.
"What are you doing? Stop! We'll do it for you!"
"Thank you. But I have a Stand now. There's no denying that." Rarity pulled several threads out and stitched her insides in place.
"Rarity! Wait!"
"If I'm going to survive from now on... I need to be able to fight through this pain!" She closed up her skin.
"You can't fight like this! The medical threads will come out!"
"I know." Rarity pulled out a curling iron, pressed it to one of the cuts, and turned it on. Once it heated up, she let out a cry of pain.
"Rarity!"
The pages of the book suddenly ripped from the binding.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"Excuse me, Miss Applejack?"
Applejack turned around. A stallion she had never seen before was standing there.
"I'm aware of what happened to you, and I believe I know who did it."
Applejack's eyes went wide.
I think she bought it. "I can help you get to him. He tends to stay by the waterfront."
Applejack turned her head to a specific path.
That's right. Get to the water. "I can lead you to him and help you if you need it."
Applejack looked between the stallion and the path to the lake before nodding.
Perfect. "Come along."
Applejack stared at the stallion as he walked past her, then followed.
Squalo watched from behind a corner. This is clever, Tiziano. As long as she doesn't suspect anything, we can incapacitate her and hold her for ransom.
Tiziano looked at Squalo as he passed by. Don't mess this up. We may only get one chance. If she catches on, we'll have to go into hiding again. It's now or never!
Applejack didn't look at the corner.
Rainbow Connection continued to press against Illusio and his Stand as Rainbow Dash watched.
"... Keh. Hehehehe."
Rainbow's eyebrows both raised.
"I get it. Why it wasn't left behind. It's not a typical Stand. Any other time I brought a Stand User in, their Stand was a separate entity. But your Stand is an extension of you. Like an additional limb. Knowing that makes you easy to deal with."
Rainbow kicked off of the ground, darting toward the enemy.
"Man in the Mirror! Send this oversized snake out! Along with her remaining legs!"
Within moments, RC disappeared, followed shortly by Rainbow Dash's other two legs. She fell to the ground and continued to slide. Shit! She came to a stop with her head smacking against the wall.
"I have to admit, even considering everyone else I tried to kill, which is a lot, mind you, you put up the hardest fight of all of them. I almost want to spare you out of respect." Illusio approached the helpless mare. "But I have a mission. And no matter what I have to do, I will complete my mission."
The Stand still in the mirror pulled back its fist, lunged forward... and struck a wall of mud.
"WHAT?"
Outside of the mirror, Sandbar rubbed his hoof along RC's back. "I don't know how you got separated from Rainbow, but if you're here, then she's still alive. I can only assume that you're still technically connected to her." He looked at the walls he made. "So until I find her, I should keep those up."
RC pulled away from the colt and wrapped around the nearby mirror.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
The Stand shook its head as it tightened its grip on the mirror, covering the reflective surface.
In spite of how she acts at times, Rainbow Dash can be overprotective. Did that trait carry over to her Stand? Or is it just confused because it's finally separated from its master? Either way, I need to figure out what's going on with that mirror.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Tiziano looked at the water as he slowly approached it. Just wait for my signal. She'll be completely distracted. "Are you okay, miss Applejack?"
Applejack nodded.
"That's good." He looked at the water. Thirty meters. Just thirty more meters and she's ours to take.
They continued to move towards the water.
The image of an apple shaped gem flashed through Tiziano's mind, followed swiftly by pain. "GAHHHHH!" He clutched his head and fell to the ground.
"I knew it." Applejack stopped in her tracks. "Right after I talked to Apple Bloom, I felt something strange happen. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Element of Honesty. And your Stand. Your Stand doesn't work on me, does it? In fact..."
Tiziano screamed again.
"I can use it against you." Applejack placed her hoof on Tiziano's head. "You realized it too, didn't you? That's why you walked up to me. I recognized you as the one who was serving us at the agricultural meeting, particularly right before I started lying. So why are you targeting me?"
Tiziano was heaving. Squalo! Think of something! Even if it is abandoning me! "You're worth a lot. If I had caught you, I could have gotten millions, no, billions from the throne."
"Who told you that?"
"It was a girl. I didn't get a good look at her, but she had proof."
As Applejack continued her interrogation, Squalo stared in shock. Were we too obvious? Is she smarter than we thought? I can't leave Tiziano behind! I have to get him!
*Tssssss*
Squalo turned around. Is that... Talk about lucky. That's exactly what I need!
Tears streamed down Pinkie's cheeks as Rover continued to rub various parts of Skystar's body. I'm almost there! I just need to finish this circle... BUT WHY? WHY AM I SO FOCUSED ON THIS? SKYSTAR IS IN TROUBLE AND I'M FOCUSING ON WALKING AROUND? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
"No one here but us. You belong to Rover."
Pinkie looked at her next hiding spot. The first one she hid behind. What's going to happen? What will come to me when I finish this circle? There's only one way to find out. Pinkie darted over to the next hiding spot.
She was halfway between spots when a leash shot out from behind the next spot. She didn't have time to react before it latched onto her neck.
No!
"You think you sneaky?" Rover stood up. "You think Rover not notice paper thing spread around?"
I was so close... wait. What paper? Pinkie looked behind herself, finally seeing the confetti she was leaving behind. Where did that come from? How long has it been dropping from me?
"Pony attempt at rescue lame. You belong to Rover now, too!" Rover yanked on the leash.
Pinkie shot forward, confetti dropping from her tail. Her body flew around the tree.
"Get over here! Big Dog Daddy wants new servants!"
Pinkie didn't hear him. She was too focused on the confetti, which had started to glow.
*BOOM!*
In spite of the sound, no explosions happened.
Unless you call the sudden appearance of a circus tent around them an explosion.
Author's Note
Pinkie's Stand bio will come once it's named, which should be two or three chapters from now.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Sandbar stared at the disembodied Stand. "Well, I better figure out what's happening." He trotted over to the mirror.
Rainbow Connection yanked it away.
"Hey!" Sandbar used the ground to lift himself towards the mirror as it fled. "Get back here!"
RC continued to play keep away with the mirror, Sandbar trying his hardest to keep up.
Even without Rainbow controlling it, it's a speedy thing! "Come on!"
The mirror suddenly slipped from the Stand's grasp, falling and smashing on the ground.
Sandbar's hoof connected with his face. "Oh, now you've done it! Couldn't you have just let me check it out?"
RC retreated to the point it was connected to and curled into a ball.
Sandbar rubbed his head and lowered himself towards the mirror fragments. "Well, that's a shame. I guess I'll have to-"
Sandbar's reflection wasn't in the shards. It was someone else.
"What the-"
"Man in the Mirror! Pull him in!"
A Stand leaped out from the fragments, grabbed Sandbar, and pulled him in. RC quickly looked around the alleyway before retreating back to its safe zone and crying.
The changeling held Sandbar up by his throat. "So you're the one that made that dome of dirt. Since you don't have your Stand here, I'll have to kill you to get rid of it! Say goodnight!"
Sandbar raised his eyebrow. "So you pulled me into the mirror to keep me from using my Stand, but you didn't consider the implications of my Stand affecting this world."
Illusio stared at his supposed victim before pulling his hooves back just in time to avoid getting them cut off by the mud that shot up from the ground. "MOTHER FUCKER! WHY ARE YOU TWO SUCH A PAIN?"
Green Day held both of the scalpels pointed at it and fought against the paper dolls for control. Its master was doing the same thing with two other dolls. "Little pests! I'll tear you into confetti!"
"Like you've done with your 'patients?'" Rarity pulled some of the dolls surrounding her away to look Cioccolata in the eye. "Like you've done with so many other innocents before? Tearing them apart simply because they needed help? Or did you tell them they needed help when they didn't so you could tear apart perfectly healthy creatures?"
The surgeon looked at the burns on Rarity's stomach. "98 percent of creatures wouldn't have been able to do anything about what I did. Bodybuilders, professional athletes, and physical trainers would all be helpless under my knife. So why are you, a mere fashion designer, putting up such a fight? Or rather, how are you putting up a fight? Is there something about you I don't know or understand? You certainly looked like all of the others when I cut you apart."
"Your tone of voice... You aren't frustrated. You're curious. You're talking like your life isn't in danger. Then again, maybe you're used to that." Rarity rolled off of the table, lifting the pages she tore from the book earlier by her head. "I doubt everyone related to those you've butchered would have simply ignored how many died by your hooves." Rarity scowled at the stallion's smile. "And if you think I'd ever help a monster like you, you're dead wrong."
"Oh well. If my old partner isn't running the gang we were part of, then he's probably on his way here. And once he-"
One of the pages Rarity had by her head rolled into a cone and shot towards him, piercing his shoulder. The moment his leg went limp, the paper doll stabbed him in the neck.
"Then I'll kill him as well."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Cioccolata went completely still. His Stand disappeared.
The Paper Angels pulled back. Rarity continued to stare at him. They all stayed still.
"Give up. You can't fool me." Rarity rolled a few more pages into cones. "I already know your cowardice. Playing dead to get out of a losing fight is something only a coward would do."
"Uh, Rarity?" One of the dolls prodded the stallion's cheek. "I think he's actually-"
"If you aren't going to move, then I'll take this opportunity to answer your question. It's because of my paper heart. Many creatures will look at paper as if it were weak. Easy to tear. Quick to burn. It's delicate. Unless you know how to use it. For example, you had trouble piercing through a barrier that was pure paper. Because when it gets thick enough, when there are enough pieces of paper layered on top of each other, it becomes tougher than one would expect. And that's what I am. Paper."
All of the dolls turned towards Rarity.
"On the outside, I'm delicate, elegant, and I'm only so useful. But there's a lot more to me than that. After all, I doubt most of my friends would be willing to do this."
One of the paper cones floating beside Rarity shot into the stomach of the supposedly dead pony. A few seconds later the stallion started twitching and cringing.
"How ironic. You love to cause pain, but it doesn't seem like you can handle a little pain yourself."
"Why you!" The stallion ran forward, grabbing Rarity by the throat. He completely missed the floor behind him turning to liquid.
Pinkie looked at the top of the circus tent. Did this come from that circle I made? Is this why I did all of that? Making this big... big... funhouse?
"What is this?" Rover looked around. "Where did thing come from?" His eyes landed on Pinkie. "You!" That was all he got out before a large canon appeared below him, dropping him into the barrel. "What the-"
It shot him out, smacking him into the side of the tent. He yanked on the leashes, causing Skystar and Pinkie to go flying towards him.
His Stand! Pinkie grabbed at the leash. It's still- The leashes disappeared. Uh, nevermind. Pinkie and Skystar landed on a large net.
"Pinkie!" Skystar quickly hugged her friend.
Pinkie pet the scared hippogriff. "It's okay, Skystar. It's okay. I've got you."
Rover let out a yell, then tried to drop on them. A trapeze bar smacked him away.
The two girls looked at him for a moment before something lifted them out of the net. Skystar yelped.
"It's okay, Sky. It's just a ribbon." Pinkie kept one hoof on her friend's back while putting her other hoof on the ribbon. "It's okay."
Rover screamed at them. "Fools! Get down here and serve me!" He threw two leashes at the girls, only for two hoops to appear and tangle the leashes up, stopping them long before they reached their intended targets.
I get it! I need to make a circle with that confetti to make this tent appear! And once this tent is set up, everything inside obeys my will. Pinkie tugged on the ribbon, causing it to transform into a tailcoat for Pinkie and a dress for Skystar. And I'm going to use that to my full advantage!
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Applejack squinted. "So you're saying that you did all of this alone?"
Tiziano sat on the ground, shifting around as he tried to figure out how to sit. "I don't know why you keep asking that. I was on my own the whole time. All that happened was a little miscommunication. That was all I could do to you. I promise I won't do it to you or anyone else again. Will you please let me go?"
It's strange. He sounds convincing, but... "You're hiding something from me. I know it. I'm not letting you go until I learn the truth."
Tiziano's eye twitched. How could she know? Is this the same power that keeps Talking Head from working on her?
"You want the truth?"
Applejack and Tiziano both looked at the newcomer, who was holding a water hose in his hooves.
"Here's your truth!" Squalo turned the water on, sending a large stream of water towards the mare.
"What the-" Applejack barely had time to put her hooves up before the water hit her. Water? What is he trying to do? Applejack's eyes shot wide when she felt something bite her front legs. What the- A shark? Wait. Is this his Stand?
"It's alright, Tiziano. We're getting her, and we're getting our money! Nothing can stop us!"
Applejack pressed against the current and the shark when something caught her attention. A rope? Wait, no. That's my lasso! When did that get here? The shark bit harder, causing Applejack to cringe. If it's here, though, I need to take advantage of it! She kicked it up with her hind leg and caught it in her teeth. Is it... floating? Is this my Stand? Is my Stand a lasso?... That's totally not steriotypical.
Illusio glared at the colt. "Are you kidding me? Your Stand affects the landscape, so leaving it outside the mirror won't do me any good!"
Sandbar smirked. "I'll give you one chance to give up."
Silence.
"Kehe. Kehehehehe. I've got one last trick up my sleeve. One last chance to win! A surefire strategy to defeat you!"
Rainbow watched from the dome she was in. He still has something up his sleeve?
Sandbar glared. What is he about to do?
"Man in the Mirror!" The changeling leaped into the air. "Pull me out of the mirror so I can run away!"
Sandbar's jaw dropped as one of his eyebrows raised. Rainbow just blinked. Sure enough, Illusio was leaving the mirror.
"You think that will work?"
Illusio watched as the world around him turned from the mirror world to the real world. "Perfect! Now I just have to-"
Everything around him went dark. He looked up. Mud had closed off any possible exits he would have had.
"Oh. I didn't think of that." He landed next to the broken mirror. "Shit. I really have to face him head on, don't I? I'll probably run out of air out here long before either of them would die." There was a soft growl behind him. "And that mare's Stand is out here! PULL ME IN! PULL ME IN!"
As soon as he was back in, he looked Sandbar in the eye. Both of them knew what was about to happen. The earth blocking the only ways out crawled down itself to return to the ground.
"I said I was only giving you one chance to give up." Sandbar coated his body in mud. "Now you'll have to fight to get out!"
The two boys charged at each other.
Author's Note
We're not done yet!
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The Longest Day: Funhouse
Skystar blinked several times, her eyelids peaking lower and lower each time she did.
"It's okay, Skystar. Just rest. I'll handle things from here." Pinkie stroked the hippogriff's mane, influencing her into a deep sleep. "It was all just a dream."
Rover let out another yell. "Don't underestimate me, pony!"
Pinkie glared at the dog. "You don't get it. You're in my Funhouse. I'm in control here."
"Rover will take whatever he-" Rover got bounced into the air, then another ribbon wrapped around his legs, causing him to hang upside-down.
"Listen, puppy. You're leaving one of two ways. An obedient pet that will leave ponies alone, or a dead body. Your choice." Pinkie bit her lip. Did I just say that? I don't know if I can bring myself to kill anyone, even someone as low as he is.
The dog let out a roar that made it amazing that Skystar was still asleep. "STUPID PONY! ROVER IS ALMIGHTY! SHE SAID SO HERSELF! ROVER WILL TAKE PONY AND PONY FRIEND TO BECOME HIS-"
*Veep*
Rover's torso suddenly disconnected from his legs, dropping to the ground.
"What the-" Pinkie suddenly noticed a claw pulling back into the legs of the bifurcation victim. Someone cut him in half? Was that the "she" he was referring to?
The legs fell as soon as the ribbon holding them loosened, falling onto the torso of the dog.
What the heck just happened? What kind of Stand was... that... Pinkie slowly lowered herself. Maud said something about this once. Diamond Dogs are...
A pink hoof reached towards the dog. Rover suddenly grabbed it and yanked down a naked Pinkie Pie, attaching leashes all over her body. "STUPID PONY! ROVER WILL-"
Seams appeared all over Pinkie's body, catching Rover off guard.
"I'm glad that I remembered that Diamond Dogs are made of gemstones." Pinkie, still clad in her tailcoat, was holding her sleeping friend while standing a good distance away. "Otherwise that would have actually gotten me. And please stop calling me stupid. I'm clearly smarter than you are."
"DIAMOND DOGS ARE NOT STUPID! DIAMOND DOGS DON'T GIVE UP! DIAMOND DOG WILL END YOU FOR CALLING DIAMOND DOG STUPID!"
Pinkie's eye twitched. He's completely gone! There's no way he'll just walk away! I actually have to kill him! A cage appeared around Pinkie and Skystar, catching all of the leashes that were headed their way.
"DIAMOND DOG WILL RULE OVER PONY! DIAMOND DOG WILL RULE OVER WORLD! DIAMOND DOG'S POWER WILL TURN ALL INTO-"
*CRUNCH*
Pinkie closed her eyes, then slowly opened them back up. Rover's head had been crushed into dust.
"Sorry." Maud brushed off her hoof. "I followed you here. I didn't want you to deal with the trauma of having to kill him. You don't mind, do you?"
"Um..." Pinkie stepped to the ground, still holding Skystar. "N-no. I understand. Thanks."
The tent slowly faded, along with what Pinkie and Skystar were wearing.
I don't get it. Who was he talking about? Did she ask him to target me or Skystar? Was that their claw? Or did that belong to someone else? I don't understand.
"Pinkie?"
Pinkie gasped. "Skystar!"
"What... happened? I feel tired. I got off the train and then... nothing?"
"It's alright, Skystar. Don't worry about it. Everything is fine."
Skystar blinked twice. "Okay. I'm going to sleep a bit more, alright?"
"That's fine." Pinkie watched her friend drift off to sleep. What if there are more Stand Users after me? After more than me? I have to tell Twilight that this happened. I just hope Maud isn't arrested for murder.
Author's Note
Stand: Funhouse
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The Longest Day: Paper Heart
Cioccolata pinned Rarity to the ground with his left front leg, his right front leg dangling limply at his side.
The Paper Angels reached for the various medical tools, only for Green Day to grab them all first. "But how? I cut your neck open!"
Rarity pressed her hooves against her assailant. "He used his Stand. There was mold in the wound."
"Your eye for details is very good!" Cioccolata quickly stitched his neck wound shut. "It's a shame I have to kill you. And with my mold starting to cover your horn, there's no way for you to use your magic!"
"Weren't you listening? I don't need magic. I have my Paper Heart." Three pages rolled into tight needles and shot at the surgeon.
Green Day tried to catch the paper needles, but they still sliced through its hand and cut open the side of its face, the damage reflecting onto its master.
That paper. It hurt my Stand. That's only supposed to happen in one situation. "You're a Stand User. The ability to manipulate these pages is your Stand. I thought it was just magic."
More mold appeared on Rarity's body as the Paper Angels rapidly vanished.
"Just another reason you need to die."
"Before you kill me, I must ask. Have you heard of the Stand Hunter?"
Cioccolata raised his eyebrow. "Stand Hunter?"
Another creature popped up from behind Cioccolata and grabbed his head and neck. Within moments, both had turned to mud. The mold quickly vanished as the decapitated body fell to the ground. Rarity stared at it blankly.
"Well called." The creature was in a bodysuit that hid his features. "Did you know I am the Stand Hunter?"
"I... had a feeling. Nothing definite, but I doubt that the other Stand User would have left so suddenly otherwise."
"I see." The suited creature looked Rarity in the eye. "Are you a nurse? I doubt you'd have much reason to know a numbing spell like that otherwise."
Rarity chuckled. "With how often my sister gets sick, I have to wonder. That's also why I learned that numbing spell. She never got over her fear of needles."
"It certainly helped in this situation, keeping the pain from incapacitating you. You do know what will happen if you use it too long though, right?"
"Yes." Rarity laid down on her back. "It can damage the nerves in my body, leading to permanent numbness at best."
"Secco?" Nurse Redheart stood in the doorway. "What happened?"
"Cioccolata happened." Secco glanced at the corpse. "I wish you told me he was here before you hired him on."
Rarity started groaning and clutching her stomach.
"We don't have time to talk about this! She needs to be sent to Canterlot, ASAP!"
"Right!" Redheart left the room.
"How... How do..." Rarity screamed in pain.
"Not now! You need some serious help!" "Secco" ran over to the anestesia, grabbed the mask, placed it over Rarity's muzzle, and turned it on. "Don't worry. You'll wake up again. I promise."
Rarity's eyes flittered closed as her breathing steadied.
"... No. She'd kill me if I did anything to you. There's a reason even Nero fears her."
Miles above, a unicorn gathered a stack of paper dolls in their hoof. "Rarity..."
Author's Note
Stand: Paper Heart
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The Longest Day: Good as Gone
Squalo held the hose in place, blasting Applejack with as much water as he could. "This is it, Tiziano! It may not have gone how we expected, but we're going to catch her here and now!"
Tiziano stood up. "I expected you to run, but I can't complain about the results you're getting."
Squalo smirked. His eyes suddenly went wide as he turned the hose towards his partner.
"What the-" Tiziano ducked, the water stream going over his head before shooting to the side of him.
Clash went against the flow of the hose back to its master, who was staring at nothing.
"Squalo? What happened?"
"She's gone."
"What?"
Squalo pointed at where Applejack had been standing. "Clash somehow went flying away from her, then she disappeared!"
Tiziano turned his head. Sure enough, Applejack wasn't where she was a few seconds ago. "How did she get away from us? And what did she do that sent Clash away from her?"
The flow of water from the hose suddenly turned into a trickle. Squalo looked at it, then at the faucet the hose was attached to. Applejack was standing there, hoof on the faucet. Squalo turned away to grab as much mud as he could, only to turn back find that Applejack had vanished again.
"She's teleporting! How is she teleporting?"
Tiziano looked around him. "Squalo, we should get out of here. Neither of us are that good in a straight-up battle."
Squalo looked at Tiziano, then looked below him. "Move!"
Tiziano didn't have time to react before Applejack seemingly popped out of the ground to punch him in the gut. He screamed and rolled onto the ground.
"You bitch!" Clash launched itself at the mare, only for her to disappear long before it reached her. "Get back here, you coward!"
"I'm not going anywhere." Applejack fell from above and slammed down on Squalo with her whole body. "And neither are you."
Squalo tried to lift himself from the mud below him. "You're a bit too close."
"Not much you can do about that, sugarcube."
Clash swam rapidly towards Applejack, leaping out of the mud once it got close. Tiziano could only watch as the Stand seemingly passed through its supposed victim. "Squalo, we need to give up now."
"What?"
"Her Stand is able to create portals with her lasso. If you keep attacking her-"
Applejack put her muzzle near Squalo's ear. "I'll just send your Stand into his throat. It's better to give up before I have to kill him."
Squalo growled. "... Fine."
"Miss Applejack." Tiziano got to his hooves. "What I said earlier. I wasn't lying. We just want to have a good life. We may not be afraid to commit crimes, but we're willing to put that life behind us now. Please. Let us go, and we'll pretend this never happened."
Applejack looked him in the eye. "Sorry. That's not my call anymore."
Tiziano slowly turned around. There were several ponies wearing golden armor behind him, spears pointing his way. "Guards? Why are they here?"
A pegasus guard floated down from above. "We were called to Ponyville because of an incident at a nearby hospital. The incident was resolved a few minutes ago. We were passing above just now and saw you were in trouble, though it looks like you handled it already."
"Sir! Who started this fight?"
"I'm not sure yet, but this mare is protected by the crown."
Both Squalo and Tiziano cringed.
"Take them all to the castle. Those two as prisoners and Miss Applejack under royal protection. Uh, is that alright with you?"
Applejack looked at the squad leader, then at Tiziano. "Yeah. That's fine."
Author's Note
Stand: Good As Gone
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The Longest Day: Wrapping Up
Illusio and Sandbar were mere inches from each other, ready to strike. Rainbow was off to the side, barely able to see what was happening through her protection. She could only see one thing for sure.
Neither of the boys were moving at all.
One of the mirror shards started floating. "Let me tell you something. When I ended up in this world, I immediately started looking for work. This being Equestria, I wasn't having much luck. Then someone attacked me, apparently desperate to get away from the royal guards. Me being an assassin, that didn't work out well for him."
Sandbar's eye was twitching. So... cold...
"But that caught the royal guard's attention. They brought me to the castle, where I met our old boss, Risotto Nero, and my old partner, Melone. Sure enough, they were able to vouch for my skills, so now I'm working with my old boss once more. I got extremely lucky to meet them again."
Rainbow struggled to get a better view of what was happening. "What the heck is going on?"
"What I'm trying to say is that finding our old team would be like finding a needle in a haystack. There's so much hay, or other creatures in this case, that it's near impossible to find that one little needle, or that specific person you used to know. So I don't fault you for not trying to find any of us. You almost certainly wouldn't have."
Illusio swallowed as he looked through the mirror at the white griffon as he adjusted his glasses.
"But at the same time, there would never have been a hit on these two. Our new boss wouldn't have allowed that."
The griffon took a deep breath.
"SO WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING THEM? THERE'S NO MONEY INVOLVED! AND YOU WOULD END UP HUNTED IF YOU KILLED EITHER OF THEM! GET OUT OF THAT MIRROR AND BRING THE TWO OF THEM WITH YOU, YOU DIPSHIT! WE HAVE IMPORTANT MISSIONS TO DO! SO STOP TRYING TO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL ONLY GET US ALL KILLED!"
"OKAY! OKAY! OKAY!" The three creatures went from the mirror world to the real world in a flash, where the white griffon was waiting. "We're out! See? I won't hurt them! I promise!"
Rainbow tested her hooves for a full second before her Stand wrapped itself around her. "Urk! Get off! You're crushing me!"
The griffon grabbed the changeling. "I'M NOT THE ONE YOU NEED TO MAKE THAT PROMISE TO! THAT WOULD BE OUR NEW BOSS! I CAME HERE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE HOSPITAL! I ONLY NOTICED WHAT WAS HAPPENING HERE BECAUSE I SAW SANDBAR'S STAND ACTIVE!"
Sandbar sighed. "These two are a real pair, huh Rainbow?" Sandbar looked around. "Rainbow?" He ran to the end of the alley, where he caught sight of Rainbow flying towards the hospital. "Ghiaccio, did you just say something happened at the hospital?"
"Yeah. Secco got it."
Sandbar looked at his partner. Why is she freaking out? Is one of her friends there right now?
"You got involved with the Hospital incident, didn't you?"
"So? Rarity was in danger... I owe her."
"That didn't make it the right move. Imagine if... found out."
"I already know."
"Urp!"
"Hehehe. You're in trouble."
"Don't talk for her!"
"I don't blame you... That being said, you stepping in might pique Celestia's curiosity in us."
"Is that bad?"
"Only if she decides we're threats."
"Well, Paper and I are fine, and as long as... there's nothing for you to worry about. That being said, Angel of Darkness is a complete wild card."
"Heck yeah."
"Either way, I need to go..."
"R-Right. Should I-"
"That would just reveal who you are. Just act like you don't know what happened at the hospital."
"Yes, ma'am."
"By the way, have you..."
"No... After all, there's a reason it is called Wild Angels."
Author's Note
Stand: Wild Angels
The final part of a sixteen part long section. And we end with ominous talking between some unknown creatures. And Ghiaccio being Ghiaccio. And no, that conversation isn't supposed to make sense. Yet.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Twilight looked around the room. On her left was a large cage with two stallions inside and two stallions outside (well, a colt and a stallion). Just past them was a group of male creatures. One was very large, dark, and intimidating, with a horn resembling a tree branch, a mane that wrapped around his neck, and a leonine tail. Twilight immediately decided not to get on his bad side, like that changeling he was chewing out seemed to be.
On her right were her friends. Applejack was staring at her lasso. Pinkie was cradling Skystar's head, with Maud at her side. Fluttershy was looking around the room, shaking a bit. Rainbow was staring at a nearby medical tent. Twilight couldn't see Rarity anywhere. Observing the medical tent just past her friends, she realized that it was a special tent designed for teleporting to safety from battlefield situations.
Twilight bit her lip. "What happened?"
"A lot happened, Twilight." Rainbow looked at her. "A lot happened."
Celestia moved further into the room. "Sandbar! Report!"
The colt looked her dead on, a bit of sweat rolling down his head. "I don't have much to report, your highness. That changeling over there attacked Rainbow Dash for seemingly no reason. She held him off until I arrived, which wasn't long before one of his squadmates arrived as well and talked him down."
Celestia looked over. "Which one talked him down?"
"Ghiaccio. The white griffon."
Celestia looked at the stallion, clad in an odd-looking suit."Secco! Report!"
In contrast to Sandbar, Secco looked at her indirectly, without any visible concern. "My old partner, Cioccolata, was working at the Ponyville hospital. Rarity was his last patient. I made sure of that. Redheart is cleaning things up at the hospital, but Rarity needed to be transferred here to undo the damage and complete the original surgery."
"What are her chances of survival?"
"They haven't told us yet. She had to jury rig some work on herself. Her survival depends on how well she did that."
"Why did you not know he was there?"
Secco scratched his ear with his hind leg. "My regular meeting with Redheart was going to be tomorrow, and he was hired on after our last meeting. He was already dead from the moment you ordered it, master. It just happened sooner because he couldn't keep his bloodlust in check."
Twilight tilted her head. "Master?"
Leone leaned over. "He's weird."
Celestia looked inside the cage. "Who are these two?"
Secco looked at them. "I don't really know. They gave Applejack some trouble, but she's clammed up about it."
"Well done, Secco." Celestia tossed a number of sugar cubes into the air. Secco started grabbing them in his mouth and spitting some of them to make the others fall near him, eventually catching all of them.
Sandbar and the caged stallions barely reacted. Twilight's friends (well, the ones that saw it) raised their eyebrows. Twilight and Starlight shared a look. Luna simply smirked.
Leone sighed. "As I said, he's weird."
"NERO!"
Twilight jumped. She had almost never heard Celestia take that kind of tone with anyone.
The dark creature suddenly stiffened up. "Y-yes ma'am!"
The griffon's expression seemed frozen in anger. The hippogriff was quietly tapping on... something. The feline and portly dragon both raised an eyebrow and shared a look. The changeling had a wide look on his face. The diamond dog simply stared at Celestia's... "sun."
"One of your boys nearly killed Rainbow Dash, who I have very good reason to keep alive. Care to explain?"
The large creature bowed. "H-he hadn't found us yet, a-and someone misled him! I-I'll keep him on a t-tighter leash!"
"You better." Celestia turned to the diamond dog. "You! When did you arrive in Equestria?"
"Uh, what?"
"You heard me. When. Did. You. Arrive. In. Equestria?"
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Celestia stared the diamond dog down. "Well?"
The dog suddenly smiled. "Are you looking for some love? Am I your kind of-"
Celestia's hoof suddenly appeared near his neck, wiping the smile off of his face. "I'm looking for an answer."
The dog's eye twitched.
"Nero" suddenly gasped. "Formaggio! Don't!"
A Stand appeared next to the dog. "Little-"
*BOOOOOOOOOM!*
Twilight covered her ears following the sound that was as loud as an explosion.
But the only explosion was Celestia's temper.
"IMBECILE!"
Twilight's eyes snapped open to see Celestia near the center of the room. And a massive crack that hadn't been there seconds earlier.
"HOW DARE YOU ASSULT ME!"
Twilight looked at Leone, who was stepping back. Starlight was scooting away on her bum. Twilight's other friends were hiding behind the bench they were sitting on.
"DO NOT TAKE ME LIGHTLY!"
Skystar was clinging to Pinkie. Maud was sitting in place. The ragtag team was pressed against the wall aside from the griffon, who's expression still resembled their's, and the hippogriff, who seemed oblivious to what was happening.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE?"
It was only then that Twilight realized where the dog was; right below Celestia.
"N-n-n-no, ma'am!"
Sandbar was pressed against the cage, with the ponies inside pressed against the far wall. Secco was snickering. Luna simply stared.
"THEN ANSWER MY QUESTION!"
"E-eleven days ago, your majesty! Eleven days! Please don't kill me!"
Celestia stepped off of the dog and approached his team once more.
"You know, that wasn't as painful as I-" Formaggio suddenly flew over Celestia, landing on his head near his team. "Ow! Okay! That hurt! That hurt!"
Leone crouched down next to Twilight. "He stabbed her with his Stand, but it was in vain. Part of her Stand makes her immune to anything that requires an injury or her blood to work."
"No. That's not her Stand." Luna cracked her neck. "That's just something she's had for a long time now. Her blood is special for reasons she won't tell me. Almost as if she has another kind of power."
Twilight sighed. "I suppose that is useful. Either way, Risotto did warn him-"
"You did it again. Celestia only called him Nero. You shouldn't know his first name."
Twilight's face went red as Luna raised her eyebrow.
Celestia glared at the boys before her. "You! Changeling!"
Illusio grabbed his head. "Y-yesterday! I only got here yesterday!"
"Feline!"
Amazingly, the feline had regained his composure. "Eight days ago. And the dragon arrived seven days ago."
Celestia turned to Nero. "Eight months ago." She turned to the griffon. "Two months ago." And then the hippogriff. "Four months ago."
Starlight leaned towards Twilight. "What is she doing?"
The portly dragon looked at the hippogriff, who was still tapping away at the thing in front of him. "Hey, Melone? Are you alright?"
No response.
The feline tilted his head. "Melone? Are you okay?"
Ghiaccio rubbed his head. "He's been out of it. His Stand is practically worthless here since there aren't that many 'good mothers' for his Stand."
Melone finally turned around. "Sorry, what was that? I tuned out when Ghiaccio started yelling."
Illusio raised an eyebrow. "Ghiaccio?"
Formaggio blinked. "Why did you-"
"WHAT THE FUCK, MELONE? THAT DIDN'T SOUND ANYTHING LIKE ME! WHY WOULD YOU THINK I WAS THE ONE YELLING?"
Melone was covering his ears. "I-it sounded like you!"
"NO IT FUCKING DIDN'T!"
"Quiet!" Celestia snapped, quickly shutting her volume competitor up. She turned to the cage. "You two! When did you arrive?"
The ponies inside the cage were holding each other. "If I may be so bold, why is the day we arrived in this world important?"
Author's Note
I doubt that link was necessary, but it made me smile.
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Celestia stared the stallion down silently.
"I mean, I'm just a bit-"
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Answer my question."
"Celestia?" Twilight approached her mentor. "I'm curious myself."
Celestia flinched and turned towards Twilight, her eyes suddenly wide, then she let out a sigh. "It's a concern I have, but I don't want to talk about it too much until I know for sure."
Tiziano glanced at his partner. "Four days. And he's been here for three."
Celestia looked at Secco. "Seven months." She turned to Leone. "Three months."
Squalo turned towards the suited stallion. "Secco, do you not recognize us?"
"Huh?"
"We were part of the Elite Guard."
Secco stared at them for a moment. "Oh, yeah. You're that gay couple that got turned into swiss cheese."
Tiziano's eye twitched. "Well, he remembers us."
Celestia turned towards Twilight's friends, who were back on their bench. "Rainbow Dash."
"I've been here my whole life!"
Celestia paused, then started giggling. "I know. I just wanted to get your account of what happened today."
"Oh, well..." Rainbow recounted the incident between her and Illusio, including Sandbar and Ghiaccio's involvement. Celestia smirked at the parts where Rainbow bragged about her skill.
Once she finished, Pinkie told Celestia about what happened to her but didn't directly state that Rover's victim was Skystar. She would only refer to her as an "unfortunate mare." That didn't stop Celestia from glancing at Skystar from time to time.
Maud sat there with her usual expression. "After that, I arrived and crushed his head in."
Celestia's jaw hung open. "If it weren't for what he put your sister and that 'unfortunate mare' through, I'd be more concerned that you said that." She looked at Fluttershy.
"Uh, don't look at me. My day was normal until the guards asked me to come here."
Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
Celestia turned to Applejack. "How about you?"
Applejack looked at the cage.
"Applejack?"
"... I went to the town hall for an agricultural meeting, then ran into those two. One of them picked a fight with me, but they really didn't do anything too major."
Celestia blinked then looked at the cage. "Is that true?"
"Yup."
Celestia looked back at Applejack. "And that's everything that happened?"
A bead of sweat ran down Applejack's stoic face. "More or less."
Rainbow scratched her head. "So why did the guards shove them in a cage?"
Applejack shrugged. "They assumed the boys were trying to do something serious. I didn't ask for that."
Squalo leaned towards Tiziano. "What is she doing?"
"Letting us live. If Celestia flew into a rampage over someone merely insulting her, imagine how she'd react to learning that we were trying to kidnap someone she really cares about."
"So she's lying for our sake?"
Tiziano smiled. "Who said she was lying? She went to a meeting, then we fought her. She may be leaving out some details, but she's not lying by any stretch of the imagination."
Celestia stared at the farm mare. "... I see. We'll detain them for a while since they started a fight, but I see no reason for further punishment."
Leone looked at Applejack. "Why is she protecting them?"
Twilight smiled. "I think she's just protecting them from something worse then they deserve."
"You ponies sound crazy."
"Welcome to Equestria."
"Your highness!" A pony stepped out of the medical tent. "We have an update on Rarity's health."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Celestia looked the surgeon in the eye. "Well? How is she?"
"We had to work with what she did to herself during the incident. She did the best she could."
Rainbow bit her lip. Fluttershy went pale. Twilight's eye was twitching.
"Which is far better than I thought. I believe her familiarity with a needle and thread, her eye for detail, and the presence of an anatomy book helped her do what she wanted. We injected antibiotics into her intestines, reattached some connective tissue that was severed, and applied burn cream to her stomach. She'll need to go back to the hospital to have her stitches removed and get another dose of antibiotics, but that's about it."
Rainbow's ears perked up. "Wait, so she'll be fine?"
"Of course I will."
The surgeon turned around. The other surgeon was pushing Rarity out of the tent. "Miss Rarity? You're already awake?"
Rarity giggled. "I think the anesthetic ran out. I'll be honest, knowing a numbing spell really saved my life. I probably wouldn't have been able to do half of what saved my life without it."
Pinkie raised an eyebrow. "Why do you know that spell?"
Secco stepped towards Rarity. "She said something about her sister needing it."
One of the surgeons gasped. "If she needs a numbing spell regularly-"
"She just gets in a lot of accidents that bang her up a bit. Her and her friends." Rarity's smile faded a bit. "Paper Angels."
Celestia tilted her head. "Pardon?"
"There was another Stand User there. Well, another Stand. The user was somewhere else."
Rainbow was suddenly at Rarity's side. "Wait! So, one of the Angels was there?"
Secco's eye twitched. "To think that one of the Angels was there and I didn't see them at all. What were they-"
"Hold on a second." Celestia turned full-on towards Secco. "Who are the Angels?"
Secco stared at his boss, then whipped around. "Sandbar! You were supposed to tell her!"
"Me? You're the one that spends more time around her! You should have told her!"
"Don't pin this on-"
"Boys." It was quiet, but Celestia's tone was very telling. "Why did you not both tell me?"
Sandbar and Secco looked like they were about to drop a deuce right there.
"I would rather hear about something too much than not hear about it at all." She turned around. "Rainbow Dash. You seem to know who the Angels are. Why don't you tell me?"
Rainbow nodded. "They're a hit team of Stand Users. They strike without leaving any evidence aside from a calling card in the shape of an angel. The only known members are Angel of Darkness, Concrete Angel, and, well, Paper Angels."
Celestia scratched the back of her head. "Well, they must not be a very good hit team if I haven't heard of them."
Twilight glanced over her other friends. One was biting her lip. The second one's face was blank. The last one's eyebrow was twitching.
"Wait. Hold on." Celestia placed a hoof on the stretcher. "Could Wild Angels be one of their members?"
Rainbow shrugged. "It's possible. At least, Sandbar's other contacts think that."
Celestia's eyes went wide as she turned around. "How many other Stand users knew about them?"
Sandbar and Secco both cringed.
"What do you think about all of this?"
Everyone looked at Twilight, who seemed to be looking at Starlight.
Starlight scratched her ear. "Uh, well."
Twilight then walked past Starlight and Luna to... an empty corner. "You've been pretty quiet. Or did you think nobody noticed you?"
A pair of disembodied eyes opened. "Of course you noticed me."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Twilight stared at the floating pair of eyes.
Squalo wrapped his hoof around a bar on his cage. "That can't be."
Tiziano placed a hoof on Squalo's back. "It is."
A ripple expanded from below the eyes, covering the floor, walls, and ceiling with a cover that resembled the night sky. The eyes then grew the body of a mare, her coat light lavender, and her mane two shades of purple.
"My name is Day Dream. And this is my Stand."
Illusio rolled his eyes. "How impressive. You made things pretty."
"Watch out! He's attacking both of you!"
Illusio turned towards the source of the voice. A floating rectangle that displayed three figures. All human.
"Get away from that mirror!"
"That's... That's when I attacked Bruno's gang! When I was trying to get that key! Right when I pulled Fugo into the mirror world!"
"The boss' orders. Those... Don't matter anymore."
Squalo turned towards the screen near him. "Tiziano, that's right after you died!"
"I'm not killing him to complete my mission. Tiziano, I'm killing him for you. I won't leave even a scrap of him behind."
"I don't know what you were thinking, but it obviously didn't work out."
Celestia turned towards the screen near her. "This is..."
"But you have two options. Spend the rest of your life, no matter how short, as my target, destined to die by my hoof, or serve me without question."
"Impossible. Metallica never failed to kill its target."
"It just did."
Twilight looked at the screens floating around. "This is... the past?"
"It's not just the past." Day Dream stepped up beside Twilight. "It's the past, present, and future. My Stand, Fortuneteller's Melody, tells me everything relevant to anyone I meet."
Rainbow and Rarity looked at one of the screens, tears welling up in their eyes. Pinkie looked at another one with a wide smile. Fluttershy looked at one in front of her, biting her lip.
"With one exception."
Twilight looked at the unicorn. "Exception?"
"For some reason, no matter how hard I try, I can't access your past, present, or future, Princess Twilight. The closest I can get is using the creatures around you, like Leone. And that's not the only thing."
All of the screens flew up and formed one large screen, displaying Leone bowing before Twilight and Celestia.
"Twilight. Why did you call him Leone?"
"Uh... Well... I... thought that was his name?"
The screen filled with static, then showed Leone and Twilight standing next to each other in the room they were in at that moment.
"Risotto did warn him-"
"You did it again."
Day Dream walked forward. "Twice today, you called someone by their real name when you had no way of knowing. That wasn't your Stand. That was my Stand. So not only does my Stand not work on you, you're able to use it yourself."
Twilight looked at her hoof. "But... if that wasn't my Stand... What is my Stand?"
Day Dream placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "That's what I want to know."
Luna approached the unicorn. "How did you get in here, anyway?"
"You don't exactly have the tightest security here. A simple invisibility spell got me all the way here."
Leone scratched his head. "You'd think someone would notice a pair of floating eyes."
"She probably used her Stand and kept her eyes closed. You never know what a seemingly simple Stand is capable of." Starlight chuckled.
Twilight tilted her head. Is Starlight hiding something?
"I suppose there's only one more order of business." Celestia turned to Twilight's friends. "Rarity, Applejack, did either of you awaken your Stands like Pinkie did?"
Author's Note
Stand: Fortuneteller's Melody
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Twilight walked through her castle. It had been a few days since their longest, most surreal day ever. And every day after that had been just as strange. To the point that Cheerilee's weird illness was one of the more normal things.
Twilight had become more aware of when she accessed Fortuneteller's Melody. It was very uncomfortable for her. Suddenly knowing things she shouldn't know. Or rather, things she didn't want to know. She wasn't sure she could look at most of her friends the same way again. She wanted it to stop. When she asked Day Dream about it, she said, "You learn to live with it and try not to say too much to anyone."
At least one of her friends was back to normal.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying that I'm glad you girls have Stands now!"
Twilight peeked through the door.
Applejack had her front hooves on the map. "So you want us to have big targets on our backs?"
Rainbow was floating in the air. "You already had targets on your backs! I'm glad you girls can defend yourselves! I was terrified when I learned the hospital got attacked while I was dealing with Illusio! I though Rarity died!"
Twilight sighed. Rainbow had noticeably changed when she learned her friends were Stand users. Now that they had Stands for real, she had gone back to her normal self. It was a breath of fresh air after how everything else had flipped on its head lately.
"It was the one time I couldn't protect you, and things went wrong!" Rainbow crossed her legs. "You could at least be a little grateful."
Applejack lifted one of her hooves. "For what? Being overprotective until the exact moment someone needed you?"
Rarity was stitching something together. "Lay off of her, Applejack. It wasn't her fault that changeling attacked her. It was a badly timed coincidence. Besides, Twilight's here."
Twilight's other friends turned towards the door. "Sorry to call you all on such short notice. I do have a small update on things."
Rainbow took her seat. "Update on what?"
Twilight took her seat. "At the moment, I'm trying to gather a list of Stand Users and at least get a name for their Stands."
Fluttershy raised her eyebrow. "That sounds like a lot of effort. Are you trying to find one in particular?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. I'm trying to figure something else out. After all, documenting every Stand User in existence is like counting grains of sand. It's impossible."
Applejack tilted her head. "What is that other thing?"
Twilight held her mouth open for a bit. "I'll tell you later. For now, we're about to meet a Stand User that has an unusual Stand."
Rarity looked up from her work. "What is it able to do?"
Twilight fixed a stack of papers in front of her. "We'll find out together. She's been keeping quiet about it. Her husband supposedly knows about it as well."
Rainbow shrugged. "Can't blame her. Imagine if someone went after her with full knowledge of what she can do. The real question is if she'll tell you about it."
Twilight looked at the top sheet of paper. "I hope so."
"Twilight." Starlight opened the door. "You're guests are here."
The six friends looked at the doorway. There were two ponies there, one mare and one stallion.
"Hello, your highness. You wanted to talk to us? Or just me?"
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
The mare leaned on her leg. "I thought I was here because of my Stand. Why are you treating this like a physical?"
Twilight set a few papers aside. "Because your last recorded physical is from five years ago."
"... Oops."
The stallion stood up. "Come on. They're wasting our time."
"Honey, I didn't come all this way for just a physical. They want to talk about my Stand for a reason."
Twilight bit her lip. This is bad. I was hoping that Fortuneteller's Melody would tell me about her Stand, but I'm not getting anything from it. Is it because Day Dream hasn't met her yet? I doubt she'll tell me anything about her Stand unless I show I know something about it, even just its name.
"Well, they can call us back when they find out what that reason is." The stallion opened the door. "We're leaving."
"Honey-"
Rainbow connection grabbed the stallion's tail. "No, you aren't!"
The stallion was pulled along the ground for a bit. The door closed most of the way, only to stop while it was cracked open before opening back up. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Everyone in the room stared. The newcomer was in a maid outfit, holding a tray of food.
The first to respond was Twilight, who smiled. "That's alright. We still have some things to discuss here."
The "maid" moved towards the table, setting some of the food down on it.
Rarity glared at the stallion. "Leaving while something so sensitive and significant is being discussed is one thing, but leaving against the order of a princess is pretty much suicide."
The stallion rolled his eyes. "Well, you said you brought her here to talk about her-"
"Shh!" The wife managed to silence her husband by moving her hoof towards him, causing his nose to wrinkle. The mare eyed the lavender maid. "We can't talk about it right now!"
The mare finished delivering the food. "There you go."
Twilight and the "maid" shared a wink before the latter left the room.
Pinkie dug into the food right away.
Twilight looked at her guest. "So, I heard that your Stand is versatile. Capable of doing a number of things."
The mare's eyes went wide before her ears folded back. "How did you learn about that?"
"I have my contacts." Though one is certainly more helpful than the others.
The mare let out a sigh. "Even if you're one of Equestria's princesses, I don't feel comfortable giving any details about my Stand."
Twilight nodded. "That's fine."
"Though I will tell you its name, Cherub Rock. And..." She undid the top two buttons of her shirt. "... I'll let you see..." She pulled it over one of her shoulders. "... this much."
There were several strange symbols on her shoulder, one of which was greyed out. She ran her hoof over the greyed out symbol, causing it to disappear.
Twilight smiled. "Thank you. I suppose that's the most we can ask you to give us. You're free to go now."
"Thank you." The mare pulled her shirt back over her shoulder and buttoned it back up before standing up. "Now we can go."
The stallion rolled his eyes. "At least we get to see our daughter."
Once the door closed behind them, Rainbow looked at Twilight. "What was Day Dream doing?"
Twilight stacked the papers back up. "Helping."
Rarity blew out a puff of air. "I feel sorry for their daughter. Having a father like that."
Applejack nodded. "Probably would be better off without them."
"At least we're setting a good example for her." Twilight's friends looked at her. "You girls didn't realize it? Those were Scootaloo's parents."
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
"I still can't believe you tried to walk out on a princess."
Snap Shot glanced at his wife. "They were wasting our time. I figured they didn't want to talk about anything, or they were holding us until-"
Mane Allgood rolled her eyes. "It's because of the maid. She was behind schedule, so they decided to wait until she arrived and left so she wouldn't interrupt at a bad time."
"So what? If she overheard something-"
"We've been over this before. The mere existence of Stands is a private matter. If anyone knows that half of what I do is because I have a Stand, there could be serious consequences."
Snap Shot rolled his eyes. "I'm sure there's a significant difference between a flock of Rocs and a Stand User."
"There is. The Stand user is twice as dangerous on average."
*Crash!*
The couple looked at the source of the sound. A wagon with a unicorn outside of it, struggling under a bunch of things that fell on her. "Stupid tools! Trixie demands you unhand her at once!"
Snap Shot raised an eyebrow. "What's with that doll?"
"The one made of feathers? I don't know." Mane shook her head. "Look, even if you don't have a Stand, you can't ignore how dangerous they are."
"I mean, your's isn't that strong."
Mane touched her nose to his. "Ursa."
"Er..."
She pressed hard. "Major."
There was a scream nearby.
"What was that?" Mane ran off, her husband trailing behind. They ran by a few ponies that were looking in the direction the scream came from. They came to a stop when Mane nearly tripped over a filly. "Scootaloo?"
The filly turned around. "Mom! Dad!" She quickly got behind them.
They looked back up. There were a number of fillies and colts that were backing away from a grown mare. The mare was violently shaking and frothing at the mouth. She was growling and glaring at Mane. "Staaaaaaand... Staaaaaaaand..."
Mane's eye twitched. "What is wrong with her?"
"That's our teacher. Miss Cheerilee. She's usually very nice and caring, but we were in the middle of class today, and she just... went mad! Started throwing things around and roaring at us!"
The husband and wife shared a look. Cheerilee continued to growl.
"You think it's because-"
"Has to be." Mane unbuttoned her shirt. "There's no other explanation for why someone like her would suddenly just snap like that."
"M-mom?"
"Stay back, Scootaloo." Snap Shot smiled. "Your mother is about to show off."
Mane removed her shirt, revealing all kinds of symbols under it. She then dusted off her front legs, removing the make-up and showing even more symbols. "Bud." She walked forward, leaving a few plants growing from the ground behind her.
"Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand..."
"I don't know what's wrong with you if you're even who you appear to be, but it's clear to me that you're going to come after me. So rather than run from someone that I'll have to fight sooner or later, I might as well handle this here and now."
Cheerilee gave her a toothy grin.
Is this the right move? I've heard of a Stand Hunter. If this isn't her, then this might be because of their own Stand. I said I wouldn't run... but should I? Mane stepped forward.
Author's Note
Stand: Cherub Rock
Twilight's Bizarre Adventure: Memories of the Wind
Rainbow's head whipped around. "I had a Stand to deal with last night. I had a Stand to deal with the first thing this morning. I am really not in the mood for a third Stand in a day."
"Well, too bad. We have a Stand to deal with." Sandbar looked at his shoulder. "I didn't see what hit me."
"No matter how fast it is, I can keep up with it. If I can catch it once- YEOW!" Rainbow grabbed her ear. "Rainbow Connection!" Her stand emerged from her body and shot up.
"See anything?"
Rainbow looked around. "There's no one out in the open." Her stand weaved through the trees. "I'm not finding anyone in the trees or bushes." A cut appeared across Rainbow's nose. "And that didn't hit my Stand! That hit me!"
Sandbar looked around. "But there's nowhere they could hit us from, right? Is their Stand using portals or something? Curving their attacks?"
"Calm down, Sandbar! No matter how fast they attack, I can keep up!" She jerked her hind leg as blood started rolling down it. "The problem is just catching where they are in the first place!"
Sandbar looked at Rainbow's leg. None of the blows are serious yet. He looked at the nearby foliage. But it just takes one clean hit to kill. Sil would have figured this out by now, but I'm not her and neither is Rainbow. Sandbar looked at his leg. What if I'm thinking about this the wrong way.
"I think we should retreat. We might be able to catch them in a more open environment." Rainbow turned towards Sandbar. "Do you agree?"
"We're looking at things wrong."
"Huh?"
"We're looking for the attacker. We should be waiting for the attack."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Sandbar didn't respond. A moment later, another injury appeared on his leg.
"Sand-" Rainbow gasped.
Sandbar had his hoof pressed against something, but it wasn't his leg. It looked like his hoof was hovering a couple of inches over his leg. At the same time, a bit of blood was waving back and forth, as if it were stuck on something.
Sandbar laughed. "See? It wasn't fast. It was just invisible. That's why we never saw it." He looked his ally dead on. "You should fly up."
Rainbow wordlessly flew straight up.
Sandbar took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Riptide."
The earth moved like four large waves headed towards Sandbar. As soon as they converged above the colt, he let go of the invisible attacker. The earth then crashed down on top of them.
It's not precise, but we didn't need precision. Rainbow watched as the earth rolled off of Sandbar like water off a duck's back. We just needed to trap the thing attacking us.
Sandbar stared at the ground below him.
Author's Note
Stand: Riptide
