"One second, two seconds, three seconds.....four seconds."
Jotaro lied there, trapped like a fly! He lied there on that bridge in Egypt as the menacing voice of DIO counted down. DIO, who took the lives of his friends, DIO who killed his great grandfather in the 1800s! DIO, master of the Stand, [THE WORLD], who could stop time itself! DIO who sacrificed his own humanity for the curse of the vampire! DIO, who was on the cusp of his victory as Jotaro Kujo, AKA JoJo lied on that bridge in his frozen time, unable to do anything except think and listen to the chocolaty voice of DIO Brando as he mocked him.
"Five seconds," DIO continued.
I've had just about enough of this neon vampire! Jotaro thought to himself in anger. Anger at DIO, who mercilessly punched a hole through Noriaki Kakyoin, fellow Japanese student. Who's servent, Cool Vanilla Ice and his Stand, Cream, killed both Mohomad Avdol, master of [MAGICIAN'S RED], and who taught him about Stands in the first place and Iggy, the loyal dog Stand User and master of the sand controlling [FOOL]. DIO, who had drained the blood of his grandfather, Joeseph Joestar, and the master of [HERMIT PURPLE]. The next time I see that goddamn face of his, I'm going to lose it, and beat him into the ground!
"Six seconds....." DIO continued from wherever he was.
That's right, DIO! Jotaro said in fury. Come and get it!
"Seven seconds!" DIO said from above, spelling Jotaro's doom as he began his attack.
"I'M GOING TO ROLL ALL OVER YOU WITH THIS ROAD ROLLER!!!!!!!!!!!" DIO cried, flying in from above and holding an Egyptian road roller in his hands, slamming into Jotaro.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORA!!!!!!!!!" Jotaro shouted, punching with his Stand, [STAR PLATINUM], his fists banging against the drum of the roller.
"IT'S TOO LATE! TIME TO DIE!" DIO yelled, slamming into the roller with his and [THE WORLD]'s elbows. "USELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESS!!!!!!"
They would trade Ora's and Useless's, with DIO never losing his mad grin.
"EIGHT SECONDS!!!! WRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!" He screamed in joy, rearing back a final double punch. "I'LL OBLITERATE YOU!!!!!!"
He then let out a mighty blow, turning the tables! Jotaro let out a final "ORA!", but it was too late, the road roller crushed him neath it's drum.
"Nine seconds...." DIO said, standing atop the roller, looking at the splatter of blood that was Jotaro Kujo. "I did it. It's over. [THE WORLD] has defeated [STAR PLATINUM], my Stand is more powerful than his!"
He then clenched his fists, feeling the power in them, the pure vampiric power he holds, even without [THE WORLD]!
"I am immortal! I am everlasting!" He said, cackling. "And Stand power! Now there is incontrovertible proof that no one on this miserable planet is stronger than me!"
He continued to cackel.
"You loathsome humans! I shall rule over your pathetic species until the end of time!" DIO said in euphoria. "NOW BOW BEFORE MY WISDOM AND POWER!"
He continued to bask in his victory. "Ten seconds! Mwahahahahahahahaha! Would you look at that? I can stop time for ten seconds!"
He came back down from the high and began to consider his next move. "All right then. Now that I defeated Jotaro, I should inspect his lifeless body and drink his blood, that is, if there's any blood left to savor!"
Yet, his body would not move. He tried to move his leg forward, and pace himself with his arm, but he was frozen in place!
"This...can't be! My body....is slowing..down!" He struggled out. "What's...happening?!"
"No, it's not that I'm slowing down...." He said, coming to a dark realization. "For some reason, I can't move at all!"
"I don't get it! This is impossible!" He said.
"Hey DIO," a mocking teenage voice said from behind. "It's been eleven seconds. I guess that's your Stands limit, huh?"
WHAT!? DIO screamed internally.
"I stopped time at nine seconds, and it's a good thing I did," Jotaro said from behind. "It gave me a chance to escape."
He shook his head. "Yare yare daze, you idiot."
He then steeled himself and pointed a finger at DIO. "Here's the thing! Since your frozen like that, destroying you will only take a second."
JOTARO!!!!!
"This is madness..." DIO said at last. "You can stop time too?! You bastard!"
"How does it feel, DIO?" Jotaro asked. "Tell me. How does it feel to have your arch-enemy towering behind you?"
DIO made an angered grunt.
"I assume it's like holding your breath underwater, only someone is coming to get you as your air is running out and your desperately swimming for your life," Jotaro said. First, he invades DIO's World, but now he uses one of his analogies?!
Continuing his arrogance, he placed a hand on DIO's shoulder, not as comfort for a friend but as a mockery of an enemy!
"And then, as you reach the surface and take a breath, you get pulled right back in," Jotaro said angrily. "Sound familiar?"
DIO could only stare into the night sky in shock.
"But for you, I feel no pity. You're not gonna get any pity from me!" Jotaro said, before letting out an ORA as [STAR PLATINUM] kicked him in his right leg, shattering it, and almost sending him flying back, but the stopped time wouldn't let him.
"Time's 'bout to start moving again," Jotaro said, and just as he did, time flowed once more, DIO was sent flying with a spin and his body landing on the street meters away from the road roller, his legs spilling more blood and causing the great DIO to start panting in fear and breathing heavily.
Jotaro stepped off the roller as well, looking at the now pitiful DIO as one would view a bug in their soup, with disgust and irritation.
"I don't feel the slightest bit of compassion for you. That's something you're never gonna get from me," Jotaro said, pointing at him. "I haven't got any kindness for your sorry undead ass."
This was it. This was his end. DIO knew that even a being as great as he was about to meet his end! He hadn't felt this way since that night in the mansion on the Joestar Estate. He could feel those flames again, dancing around him!
"Though, I gotta admit. You look pretty pathetic writhing on the ground in agony," Jotaro said. "As much as I want to, killing like this would leave a bad taste in my mouth."
DIO's legs twitched and splurted, more blood pouring out by the second.
"I wonder how long it would take for you to heal," Jotaro mused as DIO continued his shallow breathing. "Three seconds? Four maybe? The very moment your legs are healed, [STAR PLATINUM]'s headed your way to demolish you!"
DIO's eyes widened in shock, as he grunted in pain.
"If this were the wild west, the hero gunslinger would say; 'Its high noon! Now get off the ground and draw your piece, DIO'!" Jotaro said, walking closer to the vampire. "You're getting one shot."
DIO grunted in pain, staring into the eyes of the Kujo, no, the Joestar.
This insignificant welp! How dare he mock me?! No, I shouldn't be surprised. Of course, he would use this opportunity to make such a Human declaration! DIO said before his scowl turned to a smirk, and he began laughing. You think like a true mortal, cursed for a fleeting life destined for obscurity! A bad taste in your mouth, you say? What? Are you afraid you'd regret killing me? That reasoning is pathetic as your species! Your foolish honor will be your demise!
He continued to laugh at the stupidity of the Joestar before him.
I, DIO, have no such thoughts! That is where you and I differ. My vision is clear, and my mind is focused on one simple goal! DIO said as he slowly got up. I want to DOMINATE! Nothing more, nothing less! Its the only thing that will bring me fulfillment!;
But how I go about doing that... DIO continued internally. "DOESN'T MATTER IN THE SLIGHTEST!"
He moved his leg a certain way, and his blood flew into Jotaro's eyes, blinding him with a grunt from the teenager.
"There! How about a little blood in your eyes?!" DIO asked cruelly before summoning [THE WORLD]. "I win! DIE!!!!!!"
His Stand reared back his left leg, before going in for a kick straight into Jotaro's head. Yet the teen clenched his fist, and reared it back.
"ORA!!!!!" He cried before summoning up [STAR PLATINUM], the Stand punching [THE WORLD]'s leg just before it hit him, the two struggling against each other and letting out a boom!
Cracks appeared on [STAR PLATINUM]'s hand, before opening up into wounds, the same wounds appearing on Jotaro's hand and causing him to grunt in pain!
DIO smirked, feeling his victory at hand.
Yet suddenly, even worse cracks appeared on the leg of [THE WORLD], causing DIO great pain, and Jotaro to give a steely glare!
More cracks appeared, before traveling up [THE WORLD]'s leg, before going up its torso and onto its head before perfectly exploding, the wounds mirrored on DIO's body, causing him to scream in pain.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He screamed, his blood pouring from the wounds. "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I AM DIO!!!!!"
Yet, his pain stopped for a moment, as he saw, not [STAR PlATINUM] next to Jotaro, but a man. An English man of noble birth, and the man whose body he was currently using. He reached out to the man, before speaking his name.
"Joh.........Joe....!"
He then exploded, his body crumpling to the ground as his energy left him in the form of blue flames.
"When the sun comes up, you'll be nothing but dust!" Jotaro said. "You only made one mistake. There's only one reason why you lost, DIO. This whole thing might've ended differently if you didn't do this."
He pulled adjusted his cap.
"You pissed me the fuck off," Jotaro said, looking at the flaming remains.
For what felt like hours, DIO was trapped in darkness. Unable to truly die, yet unable to shamble on as he did before. Then, he felt it.
The rays of the sun!
They danced on his body, before he crumbled and turned to dust. He then felt himself falling. He felt himself falling into an abyss, one from which there was no returning, and screams filled his senses, along with the pungent aroma of brimstone!
Yet, he was caught?
He landed on sandy ground. It was a mix of grey sand and gravel, with a ceaseless wind whipping around him. There was this sort of sand all around him. It was an odd void. There was no sun, but he could see somehow. There were others shambling around him, lost in their own misery.
Suddenly, appearing before him was a figure dressed in a black, expensive Italian suit. He had gray hair and black eyes and a clean-shaven face. He had a light complexion, almost pale, seeming as if he spent a lot of time underground.
"Dio Brando," the man said, his voice echoing in the expanse. "Age: 123. Date of Death: 1989. Sins include: Murder, rape, attempted global domination. The killing of your own allies. The killing of your adoptive father. And rejecting your humanity given to you in favor of the vampirism. Quite the rap sheet, if I do say so myself."
"W-who are you? And where am I?" DIO asked.
"I am Charon, the ferryman of the damned, as well as the supernatural. Where we are, is Limbo. the first Circle of Hell." The man said. "You were on your way to the Fifth. Or Seventh. I hadn't decided yet."
"Charon?" DIO repeated. "As in the....ferryman of the Underworld? But I thought this was Hell....and wait, you mean that this is the Hell? Then that means there is a God? That's...I...."
"Yes, there is a God. There are multiple Gods, for each universe." Charon said. "But. Before you go past the Gates, I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" DIO asked.
"Yes, a deal. There is a world in the multiverse. One much more innocent and kind than the one from which you hail. But it is being threatened by a rather unkind threat. So, I want you to go to this world. And help it. You will be given back your Stand, but you will be given a new form so that you can fit in to this world. However, should you help this threat, or should you threaten this world as you did Earth, I will not hesitate to send you into the lake of ice and fire! But, should you live peacefully in this world and die doing good, you can go to Heaven with your mother. If you live peacefully there, you can have a new chance at life. If you ask me, that sounds like a good deal. And if you die peacefully when your lifespan is up, you can reunite your mother. Do we have an accord?"
DIO considered, this before nodding. "I, DIO, will play the hero. What is the name of this world?"
"Gaias," Charon replied before snapping his fingers.
Bright light filled Limbo before consuming DIO, blinding the vampire before shifting his body from bipedal to that of a quadruped.
DIO awoke to the sounds of birds chirping, and the sun getting in his eyes.
Wait, what?
He shot up straight, and looked around. He was sitting under the shade of a tree, with a cottage in the distance. He looked up at the sky in shock and found the sun blared overhead, furthermore, it danced on his body, but he wasn't dying.
He stood up and found himself on all fours, his body's natural instincts forcing him like that.
He looked back at a pond behind him and slowly walked up to it, more shocked to see that he had a reflection than his new form.
He examined this new form, seeing that he was a sort of equine. He had his signature blond hair as his mane and tail, yet his body was equine. A light purple-ish color consisted of his fur, with a stone star placed in the hole of a cracked gear emblazoned on his flank.
"How interesting. I seem to be some sort of horse...or pony. Has [THE WORLD] changed at all?" DIO mused, before summoning his Stand.
Much to his surprise, it was the same!
It was still a humanoid Stand, with its tall and muscular build. It wore a headpiece covering its face to below the place of its nose, slanting at a steep angle from the base of its forehead to a peak situated above the rear of its head by about half its height, leaving the face of an inverted triangle visible to the front; somewhat similar to the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, adding to its regality.
It wore small, simple twin diving cylinders on its back, connecting via short, twin-ridged cables to the rear of its mask; perhaps secured by thick, ridged or puffed straps running from the rear of its waist over both its shoulders to its front, DIO never truly knew the purpose of the tanks. The back of both its hands bore the shape of a simple clock face. Its chin, the base of its abdomen, its crotch and its knees were topped by heart shapes. Plates on its shins, its footwear bears curved, sharply-pointed toes, similar to those of it's master's outfit.
Though, while in the human world, [THE WORLD] had grey skin, in this one, its skin was yellow. Aside from that, it was the same.
"Hmm. I wonder if it can still freeze time. [THE WORLD], grind time to a halt!" DIO ordered, and the Stand obeyed. There was the sound of a clock breaking, and the leaves suddenly froze mid-air, and a squirrel that had been jumping from tree to tree suddenly stopped in place.
DIO smirked, yet his smirk faded as he suddenly felt tired, and time resumed.
"I can only....freeze time.....for three seconds......damn it!" DIO groaned before sighing, returning his Stand to him. "Now, to explore this new world."
He then trotted towards the cabin.
DIO trotted towards the cabin he had seen. Curious about it.
It was the first sign of civilization he had seen in this new world. Oddly enough, he seemed drawn to it. it reminded him of a simpler time. A time before the horseless carriages known as automobiles and the concrete jungles and megacities in the 1980s.
As he approached, he noticed the river and how the house sat on a hill. Which seemed to situate a series of burrows and birdhouses here and there.
"So an animal enthusiast of sorts? Or are all animals sapient in this world?" DIO mused as he approached the door of the cottage.
As he went, he saw that it had doorknobs. Yet those require fingers to work. And as far as he saw, ponies don't have fingers.
While he could use [THE WORLD] for such a menial task, he figured the rest of the population wouldn't be blessed with Stands. So he was curious as to why doorknobs exist in this world.
He shook his head and politely knocked on the front door with a hoof.
There was a whispered answer DIO couldn't make out and the door creaked open, revealing a timid, but kind, pony.
Based on its skinny frame and long, voluminous pink hair it was a female, the term was mare if DIO recalled correctly. She had butterscotch yellow fur and feathered wings of the same color. Upon her flank was an odd marking of her own, three pink butterflies.
It, she, stared at DIO with human-like eyes.
"Um....hello..." She said in a timid voice, speaking English of all things.
"Ah," DIO noted. Before answering. "Hello miss. I'm from out of town and-"
"Would you like to come in?" The mare asked quickly.
DIO blinked. But nodded. "Thank you, miss...."
"Fluttershy. My name is Fluttershy." She said with a smile.
DIO nodded, shocked by the sudden boost of confidence from the mare.
"My name is DIO." He said with his usual confidence.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. DIO." She said. Stepping aside to let him in.
DIO gave a curt nod and entered the cottage.
It was rather quaint and simple. not many modern items like television or phones. But not even telegraphs and such from his era.
Most likely they still use letters to communicate. DIO mused as he entered. I swear. Those mobile phones of theirs will become their undoing.
He sat down on the pink sofa, his new equine form causing him brief confusion.
"So Mr. DIO. What can I do for you?" Fluttershy asked kindly. "Can I get you some tea?"
DIO gave a curt nod. "Yes please, Miss Fluttershy."
She nodded and went into the kitchen. Leaving DIO alone.
He hmmed and attempted to pick up a nearby bauble in his hoof. However, it resulted in him dropping the item down onto the ground.
Thinking fast, he summoned [THE WORLD] and stopped time. Just as the item was gonna hit the floor. Using his Stand, he picked it up and placed it back on the table with a sigh.
"Time will now resume." He said. And time obeyed.
He sat back onto the couch. His Stand disappearing. For a few minutes. He just sat in silence. Processing this new world he was in. And what he's seen so far.
it seemed to be more than a world of simple sapient equines. This mare he spoke with was a winged horse of sorts. Pegasus, if memory served. If it was just normal horses and Pegasi, he did not know. And apparently, this world has different naming norms than his own.
On the other hand, hoof, DIO didn't care, her parents could also just have been eccentric and named her oddly.
And those markings on their flanks, what purpose did they serve? Social standing? Familial bind perhaps? Similar to the mark of the Joestars? If that was true, she may ask him questions he'd rater not answer. He needed to know more. To find out more.
"Hmm....what an interesting power." An English accented voice taunted to DIO's left.
The former vampire turned his head. But saw only an ugly lamp of sorts.
DIO blinked.
Could his brief time in Hell crack his mind? Or this new world?
No. He was sure his mind was as sharp as ever.
"You're not insane...." the voice taunted again.
DIO turned his head again, looking around.
Could this be the work of an enemy Stand!?
Or something else entirely?
"Down here..." The voice said. DIO looked down and saw only the ugly lamp again. But this time, it looked back.
"Oh. You're not as stupid as you seem." The lamp taunted.
"What are you? Are you a Stand?" DIO asked. "Is that mare your User?"
The lamp chuckled as if having heard a hilarious joke.
"I admit I'm bizarre....but I'm not anything that pathetic." He said, before jumping up from his post and growing to full size.
It was an odd menagerie of animals. Furry brown body with a red dragon's tail. Its right arm was a lion's and its left was that of a griffin. On its back were two blue wings of different species. Its legs were one of a dragon and one of an equine, and it stared at DIO with red and yellow eyes.
"I am the spirit of Discord." It grinned at him.
"Discord?" DIO asked, in a battle-ready pose. "Chaos?"
The menagerie chuckled and nodded.
"Exactly!" An identical voice said from behind. DIO turned and saw another.
"Chaos!" A smaller one said in a high-pitched voice, standing on his muzzle.
"Disorder." Another said, this time dressed as a noble from DIO's birth era, sipping on tea as stereotypical classical music played in the background.
"Disharmony..." Another said, putting on his own English accent of sorts, dressed in an odd getup of form-fitting white clothes and star sunglasses, and a small cape before playing discordant notes on a Synthesizer, somehow making it sound good.
"Comprende?" Another dressed in a black suit with an exaggerated fedora and mustache said.
DIO observed the menagerie and his doubles. Chuckling.
"What a unique creature. One of interesting power as well." DIO mused. "A most interesting beast."
The spirit was about to retort when Fluttershy returned. Tea in hand, hoof, DIO still didn't care.
"DIO. I see you met Discord." Fluttershy smiled as she set the tea tray on the table.
"Yes. He is an......interesting creature. You know him?" DIO asked, sitting back on the couch.
Fluttershy nodded as she poured the three a cup of tea.
"Yes. He's the spirit of discord, so we just call him Discord. He's a bit chaotic, but has a heart of gold, so no need to be afraid of him!" She smiled.
"I assure you, fear isn't an issue," DIO assured with a small smirk. "More...fascination. He's rather powerful from what little I've seen."
"Did he do the doppelganger thing?" She chuckled as if it was a common occurrence.
DIO nodded, not as amused.
"Oh. Don't worry, he won't hurt you for no reason. Despite his trollish nature, he's very nice." The mare smiled kindly, as if to reassure the Earth Pony.
DIO sighed. "Thank you for reassuring words. Now, I'm new in town. Mind catching me up on the local geography?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Not at all. The town is called Ponyville. It's a very accepting place. Where everything from Unicorns to Griffins are welcome!"
DIO took a pause. Unicorns? Griffins? Seems Pegasi, and even sapient horses in general, aren't the only sapient life in this new world.
"Ah....." DIO nodded. "Is there a local mayor or whatever I can speak to for more in depth information should I need it?"
Fluttersy nodded. "Princess Twilight. While not the mayor, she'll be willing to answer your questions more than most. She lives in the crystal castle."
DIO nodded in understanding. "Thank you."
The vampire turned Earth Pony then got up, giving a slight stretch.
He then left. Fluttershy sighing.
"Hope he finds what he's looking for."
DIO walked further into the town, passing crowds of equines who barely gave him a second glance. Not out of malice. More that he didn't stand out enough to be noticed by them for longer than a few seconds of quiet acknowledgment of the new face in town.
He trotted into a marketplace of sorts. Other ponies of various kinds trotted around as well, chattering and speaking to one another. Be it for barter or friendly conversing.
DIO ignored them with a shake of his head. Not sure what to feel. He had no friends growing up. Only stepping stones to power. Not even his own brother, Jonathan. He was only a spoilt brat he would use to get his family fortune.
Yet, he had grown to respect him. Hardship had formed him into a great man. Great enough that he was willing to take Jonathan's body as his own. He was the only one worthy of being called JoJo. That Kujo brat had elements of his great grandfather, yet was much too angry and not nearly as chivalric. The power of [STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD] was wasted on him.
"OK, have an excellent day!" A familiar voice said from behind DIO, giving him pause. He looked up to see who it was. In front of him was a unicorn with his build, and blue hair, as well as a mane and taile of lighter hues. His "Cutie-Mark", was the mark of the Joestar, with shards of the stone mask inside it. His eyes were an unmistakable hue of green.
"JoJo?!" DIO asked in shock.
To be continued=======>]
Author's Note
This is a more confident Fluttershy for two reasons.
This is supposed to be in one of the later seasons.
And this is the latest story in the Shadows Continuity. Taking place after my Sauron one.
(I know I need to republish that. I will do that ASAP)
Also did you know Dio studied to be a lawyer? I may or may not use that.
