“I can’t believe we were already done in by a Stand master. We haven’t even gotten the chance to do anything yet…” Josher Joyride rubbed the back of his neck as he walked along the pathway from the beach. “Goes to show how out of touch I’ve been since my last adventure.”

“You don’t have to blame yourself.” Subterra walked alongside him. “If we knew when every Stand master would attack us, it would be a whole lot easier.”

“And rest assured, it isn’t over,” Shiho groused ahead of them. “TWI knows we’re here now. She’s going to throw all she can at us before this is over.”

“We’ve dealt with Flim and Flam at least.” Ocellus brought up the rear of the group, behind Calypso and Leilani. “They were petty criminals in my youth, always trying to find ways to cheat others of their coin. TWI had them thrown in prison after they tried to capitalize on uses of the Fountain of Youth.”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind a dip.” Calypso traced a finger down her right arm, then to her right leg. “Say, where can we find this fountain?”

Ocellus shook her head. “TWI sealed it off the moment we found out about what Flim and Flam were up to. She believed nopony should have such power.”

“Well, except for herself, am I right?” Shiho grunted and drank the last few drops of her flask. “That witch lives forever while everyone around her dies.”

“Hey, that’s why we’re here, right? To finish this?” Calypso gave them a thumbs up. “I owe it to the Crusaders Foundation to help save the world. Besides, I haven’t fought another Stand user with Soldier Poet King before.”

Her Stand appeared beside her, walking in step with Calypso. Subterra immediately noticed that her Stand had three different faces, each at a different angle on its head. In fact, its body also had three different sides, complete with a total of four arms.

“What does it do?” she couldn’t help but ask. She saw that two of the hands had spikes coming out of its knuckles.

“I’m glad you asked.” Calypso smiled and pointed a thumb at her Stand. “Soldier Poet King has an assortment of skills for different situations. Defense, offense, utility, we have it all.”

“How about you, Josher?” Subterra turned to their other new companion.

Josher grinned and pulled out a card with an ace on it. Subterra missed it, but a hulking figure had appeared just behind him, holding an anchor on one shoulder. It looked like some kind of armored diver, colored in olive and brown.

“Down Under’s a strong boy,” Josher said proudly. “Even more so when in contact with water. And what do you know, we’re surrounded by it! I wish there was this much water on our last adventure, Shiho.”

“You fought against TWI alongside her?” Subterra connected the dots.

Josher nodded and placed a thumb against his cheek, while his other arm cradled the first arm. And he leaned back slightly, sticking a foot forward on its heel. “Yeah, our families go way back. My grandfather was hanging out with her grandmother back in the early two-thousands. They too saved the world from a maniac.”

“Seems world-saving runs in your genes…” Subterra looked down at her hands. From under them, shadows formed, casting across the ground, looming ahead like some creature of the night. “I don’t know my genes. I don’t even know where I’m from. I only know I was very young when TWI brought me here. This island is all I’ve ever known.”

“When we’re out of here, the Crusaders Foundation can help you, just like it did for me.” Calypso gave her a pat on the shoulder. “We’ll show you the world.”

“It’s either that or Weather Alternate,” Josher added. “They used to be an evil organization that was bent on cleansing the world. They partnered up with the Crusaders Foundation after turning around and helping Shiho’s and my parents save the world. Again.”

“World-saving genes indeed…”

“Speaking of Weather Alternate, how are things going with Dolfy’s family? Are they still in charge of the organization or has someone else taken over?” Josher said. “I miss that kid Joshi; he saved our hides numerous times back when we were fighting Die Die Riches.”

Calypso saw the girl’s confusion and waved at her. “Another organization, Subterra.”

“I haven’t been keeping track. Weather Alternate mainly operates in Europe.” Shiho shoved her hands into her pockets as she kicked a sizable pebble away from the dirt path. “Joshi should still be in charge. He has a gift for electronics.”

“And fast cars,” Josher added.

Shiho let a corner of her mouth rise up. “Yes. That’s right.”

The pathway led up a small hill, and at the top, the group could now see what looked like a small fishing village below. Every structure, including what looked like houses, were made out of wood.

“This is a small port village. This is where TWI had workers fish and craft our items and clothes.” Subterra remembered the sight from TWI’s observatory. “But I’ve never seen it so… empty.”

Not a single person was in sight. In fact, everything was silent here, save for the wind and the occasional bird call.

“Stay vigilant, there’s probably some kind of unpleasant surprise waiting for us in there,” Shiho said, summoning Curtain Call. “As obnoxiously showy as she was, sometimes I miss having Daring Do around. She could probably figure out what TWI’s got rigged to spring on us.”

Subterra felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned her head to see Crafteon by her ear, eyes forward. “You feel it, do you not, Subterra Shiver? The call of the dark. Something here radiates animosity. Evil. Hunger. Taking this darkness will grant us strength against TWI. But it is no doubt powerful. Do not underestimate it.”

“I don’t see anyone…” Subterra walked ahead slowly, leading the group.

Leilani crouched down and spread Jellyfish out around them. “No signs of life here. Wait… I got something… About eighteen meters forward.”

“Someone probably plans to ambush us as we pass.” Josher clubbed his fists together. “Too bad for them it’ll be us getting the jump on them.”

“But approach carefully. We don’t know what kind of Stand we’re up against…” Shiho narrowed her eyes.

“Or if it even is a Stand,” Ocellus added.

The boardwalk to the village was old and badly managed. The planks were mostly made of crude branches, just chopped off of trees and bound together with string, most of which were of different sizes from one another. The same went for the buildings here. The structures were doorless, only having holes in the walls to represent windows and doorways. There were gaps through each one, and the group could see that most of the houses here were barren. There were no beds, no cupboards, not even restrooms. They could only guess where all the waste was going, not like it would make a difference in this day and age where the seas were almost devoid of life.

“Where is the enemy now?” Shiho asked, keeping her eyes forward, wary of any sign of danger. “How close are we?”

Leilani suddenly stopped, her face full of surprise. “It-It’s… It’s getting closer.”

“Oh, they’re approaching us?” Shiho raised both palms up. “Time to beat the crap out of them, then.”

One of the buildings on the left suddenly exploded in a ball of fire, sending wreckage up into the air before falling back down towards the group.

“Out of the way!” Shiho sent Curtain Call into the air, where it began bashing the burning wood to pieces.

A man with white hair and a long white beard suddenly leapt out of the burning building, landing in a crouch on the boardwalk. His red skin matched the burning fire around him and as he stood, a grin formed across his large face as he raised a muscled arm to the air, bending the other arm till his fist was beside his left ear.

“Behold! Tirek returns!” His voice boomed around the decrepit village, low and powerful. “And this will be the end for you!”

“Tirek!” Ocellus stepped forward and stretched one arm out to her side. “He’s another of Equestria’s greatest villains. TWI really did free all of you!”

The man put his hands on his sides and bent back with laughter. Strangely enough, the fire didn’t seem to affect him. “That’s right. The princess has agreed to free us once her plan is complete!”

“You moron,” Shiho snorted. “You really think you can believe anything TWI tells you? She lied to me, she lied to the inhabitants of Equestria, and she’s lying to you. If you think TWI is trustworthy, you must have logs in your head.”

“I guess young Ocellus there hasn’t told you about us, then!” Tirek raised a hand close to his face and bent his fingers into claws. “We led an attack against Equestria once, but our failure saw us cast in stone. We were meant to remain trapped for all eternity, but the princess had us return to help her plan to take over this world! Being here is better than being frozen for all time.”

“TWI would never side with the likes of you!” Ocellus snapped. “Flim and Flam I understand, but you care nothing for goodness and righteousness or even improvement. You expect me to believe that Princess TWI would team up with you for any reason? Get real.”

Ocellus pointed to Tirek with an angry look on her face, which Forest Rangers manifested behind her striking a similar pose.

Tirek grunted. “It seems you don’t know your princess very well, then. No matter. She has tasked me with your defeat! Since coming to this world, I have gained powers beyond comprehension! You may have bested Flim and Flam, but those cowards would never have succeeded. Behold, the power of Lord Tirek and Firewater!”

A small red and black orb-shaped Stand floated up and around Tirek, spinning in the air above his head once before gliding down in front of him. It had horns protruding out from the top of its head, bending all the way to the bottom of its body and in its center was a single yellow eye that matched Tirek’s.

From two holes on its sides, it spurted out streams of fire into the air. Shiho was quick to act as the fire began to descend towards them. She threw a trio of branches into the air as Curtain Call whipped its cloth around them. What appeared once the cloth had passed by were three metallic plates the size of small tables. Josher manifested Down Under, which grabbed all three plates and held them up against the spewing fire. The projectiles hit their metal surfaces with a plop and Down Under quickly tossed the plates aside before the metal would get too hot to touch. The plates fell into the water beside the boardwalk, but the fire kept burning, even on the water’s surface.

Tirek laughed and crossed his arms confidently. “TWI warned me that you would put up a fight. But nothing can outfight me and my Stand! You’re dead meat, humans! I’m gonna turn you into a barbeque!”

“This isn’t over yet, Tirek!” Ocellus’ Forest Rangers scurried along the boardwalk on all fours, ducking underneath it as more fire rained down on the spot it had just been on.

The wood was quick to completely melt, but Forest Rangers had already closed in the distance between itself and Tirek. It kicked off the wood, launching itself high into the air as Tirek laughed maniacally. His Stand blasted a stream of fire into Forest Ranger’s face, but Ocellus’ Stand deconstructed itself, just barely avoiding the blast. Unfortunately, some of the fire ‘dripped’ off the main blast and landed on Forest Rangers’ shoulder. It immediately began spreading and the Stand crashed into the boardwalk beside Tirek, busy trying to reform itself around the fire, but it wouldn’t go out.

“A-Aaah!” Ocellus began patting at her own shoulder as fire caught on it. “It won’t go out!”

Tirek laughed some more and sneered, “Firewater’s flames can’t be put out by any amount of water! It’ll burn you until you’re a crisp! The only thing left of you fools will be charcoal!”

“If only my dad was here,” Josher said in a low voice. “Tenacious D would be able to take on Firewater with no problem.”

“This fire’s a problem, but it won’t be a problem for Soldier Poet King.” Calypso stepped forward, putting an arm up to keep her companions back. “I’ll handle this one.”

She swung a hand up in front of her face and looked through her fingers at the enemy before them. Tirek pounded a fist against the ground and laughed before sending his Stand towards her, fire spewing.

“Burn them all, Firewater! Burn them all!”

- To be Continued...-

Author's Note

Firewater!