Lyras' Youthful Random Adventure (BBBB)

>She charges at you, screaming, ready to punch you directly.
>It makes you angrier every time you see it.
“Amateur! Do you think I’m not used to that?!”
>She bridges the distance with a final, desperate leap, pounding you in the face.
>You don’t move.
>Her hoof cracks as the rest of her body keeps moving.
>You lock eyes with her, and your power activates.
>Her whole body seizes in mid-air.
>She’s still writhing by the time she hits the ground.
>Your heartbeat’s increasing.
“Is this all a mare like you can do in the name of ‘love’?! PATHETIC! You never cultivated yourself or sought strength, and all of your efforts are USELESS!”
>You bring a hoof down on hers, hard.
>The bone liquefies, but she’s too busy fading to notice.
>Disgusting.
>Her childish Stand deactivates once you touch her again.
>Now for the difficult part.
>Surgically, you vibrate her essence away from her prostrate body.
>You lift it, delicately, until the two are fully separated.
>Then, turning from the lifeless green form, you move quickly to the cream-colored one.
>What would she even see in a mare like this...?
>Nevermind.
>The raw destiny floats in front of you.
>You’ve finally collected four of them...
>It has to be now.
>You push your ability to a height nopony’s ever tried before.
>And activate!

>”Bonnie, check me out!”
>She convinced you to do it again.
>Let the record show that you were unwilling.
>You were in no condition to go through another interdimensional adventure.
>They just seemed to open up in front of you.
>You had disturbing thoughts when you saw the same pony multiple times a day.
>You could always see somepony with one of those hourglass cutie marks in a big crowd...
>And if you thought your ｢best friend forever｣ was obsessive before...
>That one moment of confirmation was enough to get her to uncover half a dozen “leads”.
>We have to learn about it, Bonnie.
>It won’t be that dangerous, Bonnie.
>We can just test it out and jump back if it goes somewhere scary, Bonnie.
>Now she’s doing aileron rolls.
”Get down here, Lyra!”
>You yell after her in the blue.
>She picked up wings quick, but you didn’t change when you came through the portal.
>This one was in a cave a long, ankle-straining hike from town.
>You’re more than halfway out of your shared rations.
>And there’s nopony around here!
>It’s mostly grassland and fluffy clouds.
>There are a surprising number of snakes, though.
>They avoid you and the all-crushing force of ｢Pram｣.
>Wisely.
>Okay, now she’s just wasting time.
“Lyra!”
>You draw out the vowels to hold her attention.
>She backflips, and it’s a little too much for her skill level.
>She goes wild.
>”Whoaoaoah!”
>Now she’s in a spiral towards the ground!
>You gallop toward the point of impact, leaving dry grass in your wake.
>You’re clumping it together with your Stand to make a very scratchy kind of bed.
>And your hooves are seriously itching.
>Now’s not the time for complaining!
>Except this strange tingle bites it way up your fetlocks.
>Snakes, now!?
>You look down to check, and you can see through your legs.
>They’ve turned translucent, like badly-exposed photographs!
>You feel this strange shaking feeling travel down your body.
>Oh, something is seriously not right here.
>Lyra’s still plummeting!
>You pick up speed, feeling the ground less and less over the sensation.
>It’s like your whole body’s fallen asleep.
>And then, everythi

>Oof!
>Ow, ow, ow.
>Be the pony formerly known as Skyra.
>You get dry grass absolutely everywhere.
>Your new wings have a hundred dry splintery spears lodged in them.
>Goodness, you’re sore.
>You pop your head up and look for Bonnie.
>But she’s gone.
>Did she fall into a hole or something?
>No.
>No, you had a pegasus-eye view of the whole thing.
>You close your eyes and concentrate.
>And then realize that you don’t have a horn.
>Your heart sinks until it’s around your hooves.
>Okay, okay, where could she have gone to?
>Maybe she got tired of you playing around and went back home?
>Then you just need to go to the--
>All around you, browning savannah stretches to the horizon.
>You realize that you can’t tell which direction the portal’s in.
>It was just a shimmering in the air, here, nothing with a landmark.
>You need your horn, why don’t you have your horn, you really really need magic right now.
>Hyperventilation is go.
“BONNIE!”
>The word echoes across the landscape.
>Wh-which way were you facing when you first appeared here?
>You wrack your mind and can’t think of anything.
>You corkscrewed too hard when you were landing!
>You don’t know which direction is which at all!
>A moment of panic sends you spinning around surveying the land for any marks.
>There are a few trees here and there, but you never marked them!
>Any one of them could be the one you passed on the way here!
>The only solution to your current predicament is to move in a spiral.
>Just keep moving, so you cover all of the ground possible, until the widening circles take you to where you were.
>But that could be miles of walking!
>What if Bonnie just ran off in some direction, or got foalnapped, or anything else?!
>The grass comes up to your chest in a lot of places.
>If something knocked her out, she could be a few steps away and you wouldn’t know!
>There’s a shimmering fairy-noise behind you.
>Gasp!
>You spin on the spot to make sure you memorize where the portal is.
“Oh, Bonnie, I was so worr-”
>It’s you, but with an especially piratey eyepatch.
>And still a unicorn.
>She looks at you unpleasantly.
>”Did your sweetie just disappear?”
>She says it deadpan.
>Uh.
>You nod, dumbly.
>”Come with me if you want her back.”
>And then she leaps backward through the air she just appeared out of.
>The portal shimmers.
>A breeze picks up, and wafts across your muzzle.
>You have no idea what’s going on.
>You follow her through.

｢LYRAS' YOUTHFUL RANDOM ADVENTURE｣

>...
>This definitely isn’t the Everfree.
>In fact, it looks almost identical to where you came from.
>The grass is a deep purple and the sky’s the orange of a sunset, but there are still trees.
>You scan your surroundings, seeking out your best friend forever.
>But it’s also equally unpopulated.
>For a moment you think that you might actually be stuck here alone, but then you make out your other self’s back against the trippy colors.
>Bonnie’s not here.
>Okay.
>You have a spell for situations like this.
>A couple years ago you both went to Canterlot together, but didn’t have a hotel ready.
>You wound up getting separated, and then spent eight hours on each others’ tails.
>Both of you were so exhausted and worried that you had to call it off and get on the last train back home.
>Ever since then, you’ve memorized her magical signature.
>Every pony has a small amount of magic in them, although earth ponies have the least.
>As long as she’s within range of your spellcasting, you can pinpoint her easy.
>Just think of the taffy-pounding power of her hooves...
>The unstoppably cheerful bob of her mane...
>The pungent, salty anise smell when she makes a batch of licorice all at once...
>You can nearly taste it.
>Now you just need a pulse of magic on top of that sensory portrait...
>Cast!
>You let it out.
>And it fizzles out a couple inches from your horn.
>”Don’t bother. She’s not here.”
>Your other self calls over her shoulder.
>That spell should’ve still searched for her.
“My magic’s still not working!”
>Is this some kind of freaky antimagic dimension?
>No, that would’ve torn you to shreds automatically.
>Is it just that spell?
>When’s the last time you cast it?
>Should you think harder about her-
>”No. I stopped you casting it. You haven’t altered your magical signature, so any Lyra could do it.”
“Woah, there’s more than two of us?”
>She snorts.
>”You’ll catch on. ...What’s your Stand?”
>Something in her demeanour changes drastically between those two sentences.
>The question sounds almost suspicious.
>But it’s not like you can really lie to yourself, can you?
>You’d do a dramatic introduction if it were somehow visible, but you let your power flow through your hoof just in case she can see it somehow.
“｢Tag, You’re It｣.”
>Her eyes widens.
>She curses, then mutters to herself.
>”Why do I keep finding the absolute newbies?”
>After she drags her hoof down her face in frustration, she looks at you solemnly.
>”I’m afraid you’re going to be more of a hurt than a help here. I’m going to send you back to where you were now, and you can find a way to your home universe from there.”
>Now it’s your turn to be shocked.
“Woah, woah, hold on! I just want to know where Bon Bon is!”
>”Gone. All of them are gone, or they will be by the time the ability reaches them.”
“Gone where?”
>Or...
“Or do you mean she’s...”
>No, no way.
>It couldn’t happen that suddenly.
>Your back couldn’t be turned when your ｢best friend forever｣ goes through that.
>”No. They’ve just been removed from the multiverse. They’re still out there, as possibilities in the spaces between them. There’s a chance to get them back if the rest of us can threaten the Stand user into changing everything back.”
>Your mind silently chunks another bit of useful cosmological information.
>The idea that universes are always forced next to each other, like honeycombs, is apparently wrong.
“Who’s doing it? What do they have against Bon Bon?”
>You might remove all of them from the multiverse and see how they like it.
>”She’s doing it to get to us. Groups of Lyras are probably already mobilizing against her.”
>Her eye softens.
>”I have to send you back now. You’re too inexperienced for combat, and your imprint’s wrong.”
>Criticism hurts less coming from yourself.
>You have no idea what that last clause was, though.
“My what?”
>She shakes her head, a little bitter.
>”I don’t have time to explain any more. Once this all gets sorted out and you’ve increased the range on the Bon Bon tracker spell to work between universes, you can just find one of us and get the full spiel.”
>You’re going to increase the range that far…?
>No, this isn’t you from the future, keep your weird actualized fantasies straight.
>Lyras have to do that to figure out how to meet each other.
>It probably helps them communicate and stick together against the enemies they apparently have.
>You always thought you were an easy-to-get-along-with mare!
>While your mind files these points away for easy reference, your mouth works at a reply.
“So… so you’re not going to let me help save her? I just have to wait?”
>She exhales through her nose.
>”Yes, and hope. I know it’s no-”
“No.”
>She goes quiet, and you seize the momentum.
>When you were a filly, you made a promise to yourself in case time travel was real.
>You’d do anything your future self told you.
>That was the tack you’d been on since this other you appeared.
>And it was partly deserved, they clearly knew things you didn’t.
>If you’d been thinking more about it as a filly, you’d probably have said the same thing for advice from other versions of yourself.
>But when Bon Bon comes into the picture...
“You don’t know anything about me except what my Stand is, and my “imprimt”, and you need ponies to fight! I’m not leaving whether Bonnie comes back up to you! I’ll go fight this mare on my own if I have-”
>”NO!”
>She looks suddenly startled and rears back a step.
>it surprises you, but your expression doesn’t change.
>She calms down a little.
>”Don’t do that. You would accelerate our defeat by a mile if you did.”
>So it probably IS a mare, and not a dragon or a chimera or something you’ve never even heard of...
>And with a Stand, another traveler between universes.
“I will. I might have just started moving around, but I’ve done years of research into the theory. I could find her just by mapping the Bon Bon disappearances and tracing the wave backwards!”
>Actually, you had no idea that portals were a common occurence until a half-hour ago.
>And that’s assuming universe-spanning ranges are all doable, no matter how large...
>But this version of you doesn’t know a thing about you.
>For all she knows, you’re an impossible genius.
>You measure the worry on her face and go in for the kill.
“Or if it’s already too late, maybe I should start experimenting on pulling her back into the universe mys-”
>Her hoof comes at you like a smash-cut in a movie.
>It impacts your neck before you can gasp.
>You sputter suddenly, and you can’t tell what direction you’re lurching in.
>She steps with you, leading like in a dance, but all you see is the ground.
>Your head spins.
>Then suddenly you’re alone, untouched.
>It’s like you’ve been thrown through the next two steps, your hooves staggering on automatic.
>Okay, counterattack, counterattack, what direction will the next hit come from?
>Or is she done?
>You turn with the final involuntary step of your momentum and she’s already on you, hoof swinging.
>Although further thought might cross it off your list of resources, your reflexes tell you to throw up a shield spell.
>”｢The Spy Who Loved Me｣!”
>You focus to see what her power is, what you might be able to do.
>But then something happens that you haven’t felt since Magic Kindergarten.
>Your horn flares too much, too hot and too bright.
>Elementary mistake, don’t pump too much magic for the mechanics into your spell.
>It’s like forcing a whale through a pinhole.
>Your horn backfires, violently.
>A small explosion goes off directly on your forehead.
>It feels like giving birth through your eye sockets.
>It’s hard enough that you perform a backward somersault before you hit the ground, face-first.
>You expect another explosion to follow it, but there’s nothing.
>What kind of a Stand was that?
>Something like ｢Pulling Teeth｣...?
>She trots over to you, still wearing the same expression.
>Did the Stand react to your magic, or just your shield spell?
>You’ve only performed a wink once or twice in your life, and it’s always made you incredibly sick afterwards, but it may be your only chance.
>You ignore your counterpart’s approach and think.
>How did the diagrams go?
>You push the magic upwards, concentrating--
>Augh!
>You seethe from the sudden burn.
>Okay, no luck there.
>You don’t have any magic you can use right now.
>Even levitation takes a little spark.
>She’s coming at you faster, impatient.
>”Directly piercing the interstices is against all codes, all rules and all regulations! Even our enemy isn’t horrible enough to endanger the multiverse that way!”
>This is probably a very important point to add to your widening knowledge of true reality.
>It’s also an argument you could lose without throwing away your original point.
>Even considering both of those, you don’t care.
>This is personal now.
”I’ll find a way to do it no matter what it takes, if you don’t help me!”
>You kick with your backhooves and start running as soon as your fronts hit the ground.
>Her horn glows and her stance turns defensive as you barrel towards her.
>And then past her.
>Lyra Heartstrings doesn’t make her mistakes twice in a row!
>You were keeping pretty good track this time, and-
>Through the portal you go, back into your last universe.
>The color swap hurts your eyes, but you don’t let it stop you.
>Your opposite number comes through, surveying for you.
>She doesn’t see you immediately, and turns around on the spot, ready to block an incoming attack.
>But she still doesn’t see you.
>With her horn glowing, she sends a wave of daffodil light throughout the tall grass.
>Before the spell can complete, she starts panting.
>She rubs under her neck, grasping for her heartbeat.
>You want to gloat about her finally noticing your Stand power taking hold.
>Since she was so certain of how pointless it would be to include and all.
>But honestly, there’s something disturbing about watching this happen to you.
>Bon Bon clears your thoughts.
>You wait for the breathing to get more panicked.
>Then she remembers.
>Too late!
>Your two-winged dive bomb comes faster than she can react, and you plow her into the dirt.
>You’re like a minty-fresh wrecking ball, and she’s the sweet, innocent wall you’ve come to deflower.
>The fall doesn’t go exactly as you might have hoped, but you’re able to straddle her decently.
>You were never big on wrestling, but the wings help pin her for a few more seconds.
>Those are all you need.
>You rear a hoof back and connect squarely with her jaw.
>Then you lean back, take a breath, and hop off her ribcage.
>She’s still laying there, legs splayed out, half in some obscure roll.
>A single eye blinks.
>”Why didn’t you...?”
“I wasn’t that mad. Besides, I had to deactivate ｢Tag, You’re It｣ before you had a heart attack.”
>She looks at you, and then at the sky, exhaling.
>Not so fast, other Lyra.
“And it gave me the perfect chance to put myself between you and your portal.”
>Her eye fixes on you again.
>Calculating angles, measuring convictions.
”Lyra, if you don’t take me with you, I’ll hit you with my Stand ability and fly away further than you can catch me. And if you push me through where I’m a unicorn again, I’ll activate it and wink away in random directions until even I don’t know where I am. That’s a promise. This is your only chance-”
>She waves a hoof to shut you up.
>”Fine! Fine, just don’t mention it.”
“Sure thing.”
>”No, I mean your Stand ability! I don’t have time to screen ponies out anyway, and if you come with me you might get lost or eaten before you wind up doing something nasty, but you’re going to scare ponies away if you tell them you’ve got that Stand.”
>Huh?
>Is your power really just that frail, compared to other Lyras?
>Besides that...
”How do we have different Stands, anyway? Mine doesn’t change between universes, and you didn’t act like it should.”
>She pushes herself to a sitting position, looking over herself for bruising.
>Her horn glows, faintly.
>”Imprints. We were all the kinds of fillies who latched onto the first impossible thing we could find and built our futures around it. Some of us stumbled into Oatlantis, some unearthed massive conspiracies in the Courts, or in your case, you proved that other universes existed without finding something else first.”
>You remember thinking about government conspiracies for a few months in your teenaged years.
>Most ponies would laugh at that idea, since you were ruled by a benevolent Princess who anypony could visit and ask questions.
>But oho, you thought, wouldn’t that be the most perfect cover imaginable?
>And you dimly remember reading all the Academy library’s books on Oatlantis.
>Well, all five at your reading level, as a filly.
>But there wasn’t anything that really jumped out at you, since you don’t remember them.
>In your life you’ve picked up weird temporary interests in an awful lot of things, come to think of it.
>After a while even you didn’t take half of them seriously.
>But somewhere out there, in the stretches of the universe, you could have.
>That puts stars in your eyes.
>And all of you have the same ｢best friend forever｣...
>It’s so sappy you could burst.
>With this barrage of insight, you feel a lot better.
>One more question, then.
“So how many of us are out there? A hundred thousand, a million?”
>You worry you’re thinking too small for this new horizon.
>But she snorts as she finishes her checkup and gets to her hooves.
>”A couple middle-sized groups and a few dozen stragglers. Every one of us expects a big wide multiverse, but the truth is that it’s small enough that every reality’s precious, and most of us never learn about it and stay at home.”
>She trots over to the portal, and you half-step out of the way.
>”And it’s Heartstrings.”
“What?”
>”Agent Heartstrings, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of S.M.I.L.E., External Affairs Division.”
>The “Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria”?!
>That was just a myth, you were sure of it!
>And in your universe, you guess it was.
>Before you can ask more questions, she heads through the portal.
>You head across after her.


>The next few jumps carry you across a vault of equally empty “buffer universes”.
>Along the way, your nose for information picks up surprisingly little.
>”I’ve already got two more of us waiting in a safe location. We’re mostly going in teams of five, but we’ve got to balance getting more of us on our side against giving her time to recover.”
“Who is she?”
>”I’ll tell you closer to the showdown. You might actually be an asset, and if you overthink and get jarred at the wrong moment it could mess us all up.”
>She turns her eye away from you, but you can feel the worry in her.
>The same as when you said you might start mucking around with the multiverse.
>Something about you really bothers her, doesn’t it?
>The more bare worlds you pass through, the more you have to worry yourself.
>You’ll be able to find a way back, won’t you?
>She’s not just leading you far away from your universe and stranding you or something, is she?
>If you made it through this adventure and got back a different mare…
>Or one that didn’t even remember you...
>You shudder.
>Please be alright, Bonnie.
>You try not to focus on her, to let the whirlwind of events pick you up and carry you back to her.
>But if some message reaches her, wherever she is, then you want her to stay safe.
>Just until you can get help and go take down this mare.
>Just wait until then.
>Heartstrings holds you back from the next portal with a hoof, and her horn glows briefly in concentration.
>Your own is still awfully sore, although you think you could cast a little magic through it.
>”Bad news. Our destination’s on the other side of a Caravan Palace.”
>Caravan…
“The ECR are part of this?”
>She raises the eyebrow over her patch.
>”We’d better hope not. Have you been in a Palace?”
>You shake your head.
>”Then stick close. They’re small, mobile universes, mostly used for gathering places and safehouses. If we get in and out fast enough, they might not even notice us.”
>You try to raise your own eyebrow, but only manage to widen your eyes.
>”If they do, we just need to get from one end to the other. They’re very self-contained, and their security’s mostly in their portal defenses.”
“And you can get past those?”
>She shakes her head, and looks a little older.
>”My partner could. But once I activate it, ｢The Spy Who Loved Me｣ sabotages anything the first time it tries to hurt me. So...”
>At the mention of its name, you notice the Stand activating.
>It’s almost unnoticeable in the light, like an area-effect spell, a light cream sphere expanding rapidly through the area and chasing the horizons.
>Then she plunges a hoof into the portal.
>The invisible shimmer sparks with blue electricity, and resolves itself into a tall oaken door.
>Her hoof’s already on the handle, and she takes a deep breath.
>”Natural, but speedy. Stick to me like glue, and don’t engage.”
>Then, before you can acknowledge that you even heard her, she throws it open and steps through.
>You realize you’re not sticking to her like glue, and rush in after.
>There’s the usual moment of passage, where you’re half in one universe and half in another.
>It’s disorienting, but amazing, like the feeling of getting off a trampoline after a half-hour.
>It’s also really, really dizzy.
>The abrupt change from uninhabited picturesque landscapes into… a Canterlot restaurant?
>Not the sort of place you ever went on student money, of course, but the kind you’ve seen from the outside a few times.
>A little close up.
>Heartstrings is already many steps ahead of you, and you rush after her through pearly columns and carpet the color of red velvet cake.
>Candled tables are laid out in various clusters, near to fountains under skylights bursting with natural sunshine.
>There’s something missing, though.
>It’s definitely not ponies, there are hundreds of them.
>Many of them repeating like pieces in a badly-made puzzle...
>All of them have the same cutie mark, if it even is a cutie mark.
>You see an alicorn chatting among a small social group, and it raises its eyes to meet yours.
>You break eye contact and keep walking, silently.
>Heartstrings hisses at you.
>”Don’t ogle anyhing too close. Don’t act like yourself at all if you can help it. Caravaners don’t have a good sense of identity, so they won’t notice we’re not members if we don’t start showing off our destinies.”
>Okay, just don’t be yourself.
>You reply, sotto voce.
“Done this before?”
>Minute head-shake.
>”Heard it through the vine. Two of us figured it out once, and then never shut up about it. ...Drops and I once pulled it off, too.”
“Who?”
>She’s about to say something, and then goes silent.
>Oh, you realize what was strangely missing.
>The smell.
>There’s no food here, nothing cooking, not even the smell of light alcohol.
>It’s like… gemstones, pretty without enough particles to make that kind of impression.
>Selfishly elegant.
>You suddenly, deeply miss chocolate.
>”Hey!”
>The voice comes from an adventure not long past.
>Blue.
>”Come back here, thief!”
>Of course you know she’s talking to you, but you keep walking.
>But then you hear two more of her voice, in unison.
>”I came searching for you! I wanted to find the right branch of your tree before I cut it off!”
>It’s creepy that they talk like that.
>You tried to do more research into the Caravan, but there was nothing in Ponyville’s library.
>Not to mention that Princess Twilight is going to start asking nosy questions about your reading habits if you keep going there.
>Maybe you can hit one of your other selves up for a well-stocked library, somewhere?
>Oh, right, don’t think how you usually think.
>Heartstrings stops walking, and you stop a few trots ahead of her, quite reluctantly.
>She looks over her shoulder.
>”What seems to be the problem, ma’am?”
>You turn yourself.
>There are three Blues, each wearing its own interpretation of a squint.
>Each of them is processing something, going through the same motions.
>The one in the center of the trifecta clears her expression immediately.
>It’s really disconcerting.
>Around you, most of the ponies ignore you.
>But one version of each pauses to watch intently.
>”You can go on. You’re a distant branch. The pony behind you is the one I have to settle things with.”
>So much for them not being likely to notice you.
>”It sounds like this is sometihng we should resolve at another point. For now, we’re trying to take care of a current-”
>”I know what you’re dealing with. The Caravan is assembling to deal with that branch when you fail.”
>”You mean destroy it?”
>Bluie smiles, all three of her.
>”That’s the closest concept you’d understand.”
>You doubt that very much.
>You murmur to your other self.
“If they do that, would there still be a way to bring all of the Bon Bons back?”
>She doesn’t respond, just looking up through the skylight.
>The fake sunshine (or is it…?) illuminates her eye.
>She’s thinking, hard.
>You feel like you should make a case for yourself, and your usefulness.
>Or a break for it.
>If you could just use ｢Tag, You’re It｣ on yourself, you could outrun her anyway.
>But if you used it on Heartstrings, she’d outrace you, and then have to match pace to have it deactivated.
>You cast a glance around, fishing with the seconds you have.
>There’s almost nothing here, no food, just decoration.
>Silverware, salt shakers, empty glasses, china plates, tablecloths, chairs, chair cushions.
>Wait…
>Heartstrings says something.
>”I’m afraid this version of myself is necessary for now. She might die trying to set things right. If she doesn’t, and you want to settle things with her later, then it’s none of my business.”
>Gosh, thanks.
>Bon Bon would’ve whapped her upside the head for saying something like that.
>You guess hers is a little more mellow.
>Blue’s not satisfied.
>”I’ve devoted a search across the continuum to finding her in particular. I’ve even altered myself to think on the level of organic one-universe species, and that may not be reparable. If I can’t end her myself, now, I’ll simply target all of you.”
>They approach, closer.
>You want to back up, but your other self clearly doesn’t.
>Stick to her like glue, stick like glue...
>The number of conversations still happening as if they can’t see what’s going on disturbs you.
>Heartstrings raises her voice, looking around the room.
>”Is that how the Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation responds to a slight? Petty self-mutilation and revenge? Is this the impression you wish to leave on the multiverse?”
>No answer comes, but some of them turn their eyes from you to Blue, who displays three different forms of anger.
>”You have no grounds to beg for protection as long as one of your branches is threatening the structure of the multiverse.”
>One of her--
>Hey!
>You’re not that dangerous!
“I didn’t even take the Residuum, if you were just paying attention while you were trying to kill me, you’d have seen that Domino ran away with it!”
>You know it’s an important artifact, and probably vital to that kind of universe, but-
>Blue’s eyes widen.
>”She doesn’t know.”
>Just then, Heartstrings fires a bolt of energy.
>Upwards.
>Blue overreacts, one of her selves throwing a spell.
>But as the bolts fly, ｢The Spy Who Loved Me｣ sweeps through the room.
>Broken glass rains down between you and them in a loose demarcation.
>Blue’s horn does the same thing yours did, and that version of her yelps and falls over.
>You rush for the nearest table.
>As the next bolt comes, she has a shield held up.
>Still staring into the sunshine above.
>A couple more bolts, and it wavers.
>”｢Dedicated Thespian｣!”
>The rightmost version shouts, but the bolt of magic doesn’t impact.
>”｢Savoy Truffle｣!”
>Says the center version, and something starts building around her.
>Bright and shining a molten, sickly green.
>”This is pure radiation, contained by my ability. If it gets within five centimeters from you, you will die, no matter what magic you cast! And for being so uncooperative, once I’ve taken care of both of you, the rest of me will end you personally!”
>Heartstrings shrugs.
>”You should really think about getting out of here, instead. There’s still a little time.”
>Blue does something like mirthless cackling.
>She’s seized by anger as the ball shapes itself into a blade in her telekinesis.
>Your other self doesn’t look at her.
>”I mean it. You couldn’t resist engineering real sunlight by manufacturing a real star, and that’s why you need to evacuate this place immediately. You can’t complain that you were stranded here unfairly or something when I just told you out and out about it.”
>Blue hesitates.
>The Caravaners who have been watching you now look around, inspecting the area for some truth to this bluff.
>”Whatever threat you’re making, it doesn’t matter. Your destiny-power can’t discriminate between multiple versions of the same entity, so you won’t be able to interfere with my attack.”
>”You’re right. You could kill me. It’s just a bad use of your time. It takes roughly one hundred seconds of exposure for sunlight to damage a pony’s retina permanently, and yours is much closer to us.”
>One Blue goes quiet and contemplative, almost troubled.
>And here you are, standing around like an idiot!
>You finish what you were doing.
>The other her not recovering on the ground marches closer to your other self.
>”Why should that matter?”
>Heartstrings finally breaks the glance upwards and looks at her.
>”Because blindness is a threat to my safety.”
>And then the sun explodes.
>A curtain of white-hot light bursts through any available opening.
>A...
>A supernova.
>She distracted them by blowing up their sun.
>Heartstrings winks herself to where you are, dodging the burning light.
>The temperature’s increasing by the second now.
>”C… come on!”
>She shouts, and gallops ahead.
>There are sounds of turmoil and the smell of thickly primordial magic being cast.
>All you can hear is your heartbeat and the sound of the world melting.
>Avoiding the pools of light like the plague, you keep running through this endless hotel.
>It’s more like a banquet hall, really, there’s never a front desk anywhere.
>After a minute and ten seconds of further running, you feel like collapsing.
>And Heartstrings finds the portal.
>”Here, this is the exit we need! Just let me disarm-”
>”｢SAVOY TRUFFLE｣!”
>The voice comes behind you, and you leap out of the way on instinct.
>Radiation theory was a very troubling thing for you in Academy.
>The thought that diseases could be caused just by the particles that made up the world...
>It was one of the few things you never hoped was true.
>The blade is glowing bright enough that it hurts to look at.
>Drawing in more radiation from the supernova, probably.
>It’s much larger that she is, now, and she holds it in her magic like a battleaxe.
>Her eyes are wild, looking from you to your other self.
>She chooses Heartstrings, whose head is down in concentrated effort.
>You’re on the ground, too far away to get to her in time.
>The sound of armageddon is too loud to warn her.
>And that’s what give you your opening.
>｢Tag, You’re It｣ finally hits a breaking point.
>The salt shaker you’re holding sprays its grains out like buckshot, shaking in your hooves.
>Blue doesn’t even hear them coming.
>They punch into her, not even to do serious damage, but enough to throw her off her hooves and onto her side.
>You risk a glance back the way you came and confirm nopony else was stupid enough to follow you.
>They all took faster exits, it seems.
>Another spray of salt keeps her from getting up, and then the shaker’s forcing it out like tiny hailstones, still shaking.
>The sword starts blocking them, at least keeping them from hitting her face.
>Heartstrings’ magic stops, and you’ve gotten to your hooves.
>As it hits its own breaking point, you hurl the shaker right for Blue’s forehead.
>Heartstrings got the picture from the second you threw the shaker, and she’s already through.
>Minuette doesn’t, and brings up the sword as you sprint.
>She blocks your attack easily.
>And as soon as it does, both explode.
>The expensive carpet rolls under your hooves, and you close your eyes to stop from hesitating.
>This portal’s right in front of a wall.
>You feel pellets of salt sting your back hooves as you leap into thin air.
>And then, lurchingly, you tumble into another universe.

>Heartstrings curses a few more times as she paces.
>”Anywhere but here!”
>You’ve taken a few minutes to gather your bearings and stop sweating.
>The night air took your strength as soon as you felt it, and it rested your eyes super extra amazingly.
>You could’ve fallen asleep in the dewy grass.
>That is, as soon as she sealed the portal behind herself.
>Another spell you either had to learn or invent eventually...
>But then she started pointing out the landmarks.
>You were on the edge of woods, something like the Everfree Forest.
>At first you couldn’t tell what the silhouettes in the distance were, on mountaintops and peering over the trees.
>They seemed angular and sharp, but completely solid.
>It wasn’t until you contrasted one against the lighter sky that you saw the full outline.
>Castles.
>They were all castles.
>”We’d better head for one of them.”
>She finally said, half-defeated.
“Is it dangerous?”
>”No. It’s just… personal taste. There’s a reason they all live out of the way. I was hoping not to have to deal with them for something this important.”
>You’re puzzled, but she doesn’t volunteer anything else.
>You start walking.
>There are a few roads, but they’re mostly dirt paths.
>Tall gangly trees sway in the breeze.
>It’s a very spooky kind of world, at least at night.
>You look up in the sky.
>The moon’s setting, but there’s no sunrise above.
>In fact, there’s a second moon coming up over the horizon.
>And a third one coming down from an apex at the top of the sky.
>It looks like a cosmic juggling act.
“Is… is this a world where Nightmare Moon won?”
>Heartstrings cocks an eyebrow.
>”Who?”
>With some labor, you explain the prophecies, and the Elements’ redemption of Luna.
>Finally, she waves you off.
>”No, nothing like that. This world’s mostly uninhabited, except for the Deep Ponies. And it wasn’t like they cared about who moved in on the surface. These versions of us have nice treaties with them.”
“The Deep Ponies?”
>”Troglobites. They live in rich cave systems without needing light, and they evolved without eyes, so they don’t make friends very easily. Not really a threat, though.”
>You wonder if there are ponies like that in Equestria.
>And if another of you discovered them and became destined to become a blind cave-pony ambassador or something.
>A hint of odd jealousy wells up in you.
>Then Heartstrings’ voice cuts in again, from above you.
>”Howdy, strangers!”
>No, scratch that, that’s just what your voice sounds like to other ponies.
>Although this one is much more cheerful.
>You look up and get an eyeful of her.
>Same coat, same cutie mark, but she had wings.
>Leathery bat-wings.
>And her eyes were dilated down the middle, like a lizard.
>You stare.
>”Are you looking for somepony to help fight the Big Nasty One?”
>Heartstrings doesn’t answer at first.
>Then she starts walking.
>”Come on, both of you. Let’s just get to the nearest portal.”
>You nod and head after her.
>The newcomer swoops down and trots beside you.
>”What are your names?”
>She seems like pretty pleasant company.
“Lyra Heartstrings. And that’s just Heartstrings.”
>”Ooh, what are your Stands?”
>Heartstrings interrupts, already sounding annoyed.
>”We’ll discuss that in a few minutes. It’s only two or three jumps away. Do you think you can wait that long?”
>To make up for that, you fill the space with your own question.
“What’s your name?”
>She cocks her head to the side.
>”You don’t know? Everypony in Stringsylvania has the same name!”
>That catches your interest, and you shake your head.
>She smiles, and extra teeth glint in her mouth.
>”We’re all Vampyras!”
>...
>You break out laughing.
>That’s amazing.
>She observes you carefully, analysing you with predatory eyes.
>Where would a makeshift society worth of this version come from?
>You’ve never been very interested in vampires, it always seemed like foal stuff.
>No, wait...
>When you were a filly, you remember once when somepony offered to play Dhampir: the Masque with you.
>You flaked on them because you were sick and couldn’t sneak out of your house.
>In fact, you forgot about it a few days later.
>You don’t even remember their name.
>Gosh, a change that subtle...
>You notice carefully-included whorls in her ears.
“How’d you alter yourself?”
>She relaxes when you don’t seem to be mocking her, and turns animated.
>”Magic pooling, with the extra mana we don’t use as thestrals. If any of us leave range for a few days, we revert back, so there’s a lot of quick runs for supplies.”
“Like… blood?”
>That part makes you uncomfortable.
>Carnivores were always kind of cool in a pulpy, gruesome, Gothic way, but you didn’t really want to be one.
>She grins, teeth poking into her lip, and leans in.
>Her mouth hovers inches from you, but you can’t look at it.
>You don’t know if you’re keeping eye contact to be polite or because you can’t help it, now.
>”No, we get all we need from stragglers.”
>Uh...
>You want to check that Heartstrings is still up front.
>You just can’t bring yourself to make any sudden movements right now.
>Then she starts laughing herself, raucously.
>This creates some distance between the two of you, and then you just feel embarrassed.
>Finally she stops.
>”No, we’re based on hybrid bats. We only drink blood if our harems want it.”
>Harems.
>Okay, is she deadpanning again?
“You have--”
>Heartstrings sighs.
>”They seek out universes where we never met our destiny-partners, and then romance them and bring them back here.”
>Vampyra waggles her eyebrows.
>”The Coterie knows how to make a mare feel appreciated.”
>Oh.
>That’s why other versions of you don’t get along with these ones.
>You make a note to keep Bonnie away from anywhere that looks like this.
>Her face falls as she reads yours.
>”It’s not like we’re taking away other ponies’ sweeties, Lyra!”
>There it is again.
>Why do they keep calling her that?
>She continues a little further.
>”Besides, she doesn’t do much better without us than we do without her.”
>She shivers for emphasis, and squeals tightly under her breath.
>”Not letting everypony’s favorite candymare in is why this whole mess is happening right now.”
>You can’t see her face, but Heartstrings seems to stop and tense up, for some reason.
“Huh?”
>Vampyra nods sagely.
>”Yeah, I thought it was just a little too much dark magic or something, but LYRA’s problem is that she avoided the important kinda magic and stayed alone. Now she just wants to spread the misery around, I bet.”
>The trees seem to loom closer above you.
>You don’t mishear her.
>She goes to great lengths to pronounce it “LYRA” and not “Lyra”.
>There’s no chance that it’s another word, or a name you’re just mishearing.
“We’re fighting against a version of ourselves?!”
>Heartstrings sighs.
>”We’re not very healthy ponies on our own. Without a shoulder to lean on, we go... overboard. Depending on the imprint, it can be miserable for us or for everypony around us, but LYRA has been the most dangerous by far.”
“Then what’s her imprint?!”
>You’re freaking out.
>Even if you’re proving her right about not wanting to tell you earlier, you’re desperate to hear the answer.
>What could you have discovered that would make you so awful?
>Death magic?
>Ways to erase ponies from reality?
>Vampyra clicks her tongue, and your ears almost pop.
>”Other universes. She started out with a Stand that vibrates things to death, ｢Tag｣ something. Some of us tried to be her wingponies, but she just booted us from her universe.”
>You nearly fall over.
>Heartstrings corrects her, still staring ahead.
>”Yes, she had ｢Tag, You’re It｣. But she made it into something much worse. By taking the destinies of other Lyras with the same Stand, she could supercharge hers into something that could vibrate groups of things into or out of the multiverse at will. Now, as long as she has likeminded souls to power herself, she’s invincible.”
>Oh no, no, no no no.
>You realize why she didn’t want you to come along.
>And why the Caravan was assembling to destroy that entire universe.
>Removing Bonnie had been the first step, a test or experiment.
>Probably to draw more of you in, and gain more power herself.
>Should you turn back?
>...
>No.
>No, thoughts were already bubbling to the surface, ways to work with this.
>If there were a way, for just a few seconds...
>Vampyra’s good mood soldiers on.
>”Well, good thing it’s an all-or-nothing power, so she can’t shunt any of us out of the multiverse like that.”
>Heartstrings mutters in return.
>”Yeah, she’ll only have to spend a few more seconds.”
>Then she raises her voice.
>”When we attack her, however we kill her, we have to do it in one strike. My power can stop her first attack and stagger her for a couple of seconds, but it’s the only opening we’ll get. If we’re lucky she’ll be weakened or distracted from fighting some of the others heading there now.”
>You feel for a moment like they’re talking about you.
>A version of yourself that might have nothing in common with you, but...
>You don’t know.
>You just really miss Bonnie.
>Wait.
”Are you sure that’s going to reverse her Stand?”
>A pause.
>Forest bends away from you.
>At the intersection of equally barren, empty roads, a shimmer in the air.
>”It has to.”

>You’re quiet for the next three jumps, just investigating the scenery.
>The second one is a large tropical area, but you can’t tell if it’s an island or a coastline.
>Large serpentine fish wriggle up and down out at sea, and the sound of birds chirping is reassuring.
>When you first make it back into sunlight, you’re the only one who gets bothered by it.
>Vampyra didn’t even squint.
>The conversation goes nowhere, and it goes nowhere when you finally meet your other counterparts.
>They’re waiting for you at a table in a pretty recognizable Ponyville.
>Everypony else’s colors are off, though.
>There are two of you, one sitting patiently and the other napping with a beige hat pulled over her eyes.
>Introductions happen.
>The one who’s awake starts.
>”Hey, I’m Lyra, from CHS. I discovered that, uh, talking horses existed. I know that might not make much sense. My Stand’s ｢Changelings Aren’t So Bad｣.”
>To demonstrate, she laid her hooves on the outdoor table, something wooden and nondescript.
>It suddenly turns to interwoven wicker.
>Then, after a moment, to glass inlaid with jewels.
>You’re starting to get looks, and she swats her companion.
>”Wuhh- oh! Nice to meet you, strangers. I’m Temerity Strings. Bon Bon and I discovered that the events of Daring Do really happened, and I got ｢Bye Bye Bye｣. And right now there’s a mirror in an ancient Andalusian temple that’s going to stop being a portal by the end of the moon-cycle, so can we pick this up?”
>Heartstrings nods.
>”Yes, it’s only a few more jumps. We can all explain our backstories on the way, if there’s time. If not, just hit her with everything you can and hope she’s close to the edge of her endurance.”
>You step forward.
>Most of the eyes have been on Vampyra up to now, but you clear your throat.
“I’m Lyra, from Equestria. My ｢best friend forever｣ and I discovered a portal to a World of the Plastic Beach, and we got ｢Pram｣ and ｢Tag, You’re It｣.”
>You stand still while they process this.
>All of them except for Heartstrings become very nervous.
>Heartstrings just looks somewhere between mute exasperation and worry.
>Temerity shifts her eyes from you to your de facto leader.
>”I don’t think we should want to hoof any more ammunition over to our enemy.”
>Vampyra studies you with great concern.
>”What if they join the same side?”
>Lyra from CHS doesn’t know what’s going on, and tries to look placidly intrigued.
“Fine. I’ll face her alone if I have to.”
>Temerity:
>”That’s suicide.”
“No, not if I can think of some way around her power. I’m the pony with the best chance of doing that. And even if I can’t, I won’t let my Bonnie or any other Bon Bon, or whatever you call her, be trapped in limbo. I won’t let any version of myself get away with something like that, no matter how powerful her Stand is!”
>And with that, you turn away to Heartstrings.
>No one speaks, and you don’t bother checking their faces.
>Your mind is made up, and you’re nervous, but you know what needs to be done.
“Where’s the portal?”


>Be LYRA.
>This is becoming more and more disappointing as time goes on.
>You were hoping to ascend to greater and greater heights, to achieve your ultimate goal.
>But your destiny can only carry you so far.
>Above a certain level, it even becomes an anchor tying you down!
>Still, if they keep coming, you can keep erasing potential threats to yourself.
>You’re sure that other ponies are moving against you now.
>Since you never really bothered to have casual chats across spacetime, you don’t know who.
>Not that it matters.
>The only ponies who show up to fight you are the ponies who think you can’t use your power on them.
>Their comatose and battered bodies litter your crystal palace.
>The Crystal Empire was a bit ostentatious, but once you cleared out the inhabitants it made for a wonderfully quiet living space.
>Although you had to keep pulling new Crystal Hearts out of Limbo, it was a small price to pay.
>None of the other versions of yourself you met had done something like that.
>They were all the kind of weak ponies who wouldn’t even consider it!
>You did all of this, and nopony’s crawled out of the woodwork who can even challenge you!
>...No, that’s only fair.
>All of your kindred spirits probably wouldn’t bother.
>You haven’t signaled to them that you’re trying to communicate.
>You’re just trying to wash away all of these mistaken, ugly versions of yourself before you do.
>Cleaning house.
>You control all portals in and out of your domain, now.
>Just like you’ve tamed the Storm that rages outside.
>If somepony tries to enter, you decide where.
>You could drop them directly into the ice a hundred miles away, if you wanted.
>But, of course, you decide to make it open directly in front of you.
>it’s a group of five this time, not the largest or the smallest you’ve fought.
>You smile as they startle at being only a few hooves away from you.
>They won’t bridge the distance in time, though.
>In your experimentation, you’ve discovered the highest level your Stand can stay at normally.
>And, naturally, you’ve locked it into place.
“｢Tag, You’re It Act 4｣.”
>You stare at the center one, one of the two plain vanilla versions who look like you.
>When your eyes lock, your power activates.
>She gasps and rears back as her heart rate ratchets up.
>A couple more seconds...
>”｢The Spy Who-”
>”｢VOLTAIRE｣!”
>The one with bat wings throws her head forward, and beams of purple light fly from them.
>They rip through space, and hit your own dead-on.
>You collapse.


>Be Lyra, the original.
>You take back what you said about wanting to use ｢Tag, You’re It｣ on yourself.
>You felt it, though.
>That ｢connection｣ you were hoping for...
>You nearly fall over hyperventilating, even after it’s over.
>Vampyra’s breathing heavily, too.
>”I must have hit her brain.”
>Temerity gestures at the body.
>”Well, do it again! We need to make sure!”
>You want to argue that you need to find a way to make sure that all the Bon Bons are back.
>You want to, but if you did that she might have time to do something tricky.
>A few seconds after her collapse, the second attack comes.
>”｢Voltaire｣!”
>But nothing happens.
>”...｢Voltaire｣! ｢Voltaire｣!”
>Does it need to recharge?
>From on the ground, you hear your own laughter.
>It doesn’t sound evil, or menacing, but it still creeps you out.
>She sits up, raggedy mane falling everywhere, and her eyes are fine.
>But her good humor’s about up.
>”I guess none of you are smart enough to make your defensive magic automatic. Were you too busy eating ice cream cones with your besties to learn REAL magic?”
>Vampyra’s panicking.
>”W-what did you do?!”
>”I kept a soul behind so I could always show off my real power when I needed to. It only lasts a minute, but that’s more than enough time to heal the damage and defeat all five of you. I’ve even tested out a new trick and removed your Stands from this universe.”
>That ruffles everyone except you.
>You can still feel your Stand, probably because she couldn’t target it.
“Why?”
>She locks her twitching eyes with you again, but you don’t keel over.
>”So I can replace them. I’m tired of waiting for failed versions of myself to stockpile my powers with, it’s boring. Once all of you have ｢Tag, You’re It｣, I can harvest you with no-”
”No. That’s not what I’m asking you. Why did you take away my Bonnie?”
>Her face becomes a mask of rage.
>”Is that ALL you can think about?! Is one mare the only thing in the entire multiverse that matters to you petty wastes of air?! You use reality like a cheap entertainment while I try to ascend to the level of the beings who created it, and you can still seriously pretend that I’M the inferior one?!”
>Heartstrings charges for her.
>The rest of them weren’t expecting that, but they all try the same thing.
>It’s the only thing a pony with a Stand like ｢Tag, You’re It｣ can do, normally.
>Vampyra glances at you staying behind for a moment.
>You don’t like the look in her eyes, but there’s nothing you can do.
>Trying to get close is a waste of time.
>”｢Tag, You’re It Act 5｣!”
>Heartstrings disappears before her hoof can make an impact, leaving only a crystalline wisp of energy floating in her wake.
>You take a deep breath.
>Vampyra stumbles when she sees it, and then she’s gone.
>They’re just being thrown where Bon Bon is...
>CHS doesn’t see them, and she goes next, caugh in the middle of a yelp.
>And then Temerity, finally, gets in range to hit her.
>And her hoof stops, caught in a field of magic.
>Before she can react, she’s gone too.
>All that remains of them floating, sparkling clouds of energy-dust.
>You can feel their despair bearing down on you, filling the room thickly.
>And then LYRA turns to you.
>”Not willing to try out your new Stand, even to save your own life?”
>You shake your head.
“There’s no point. You won’t let anypony hit you, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to keep away. You’re a natural with that Stand, and you know all its strengths and weaknesses.”
>She walks closer, the power swirling around her as bottles assemble themselves out of nothing around the souls of your compatriots.
>You stay still.
>...
”You never met Bon Bon, did you? You just grew up in a universe without her, or she had a really different path through life.”
>She ignores you, stashing the bottles away carefully.
>She still has a little time to get rid of you.
>The words come spilling out.
”I met her in a candy store in Canterlot when the rare bookstore kicked me out for browsing too much. We became pen pals, and then friends, and then I moved to Ponyville because it was such a nice place, and we went on adventure to a completely different universe, and now I’ve found tons of myself with the same story to tell!”
>You feel for it.
>That ｢connection｣.
>You’ve gripped it as tightly as you can.
>She approaches you, still showing no change in expression.
“You think I’m trying to convince you to be nice, don’t you? I’m not, I promise.”
>She reaches out to wipe you out of the universe.
“I’m just explaining why you’ve lost, today. [spoiler]｢Tag, You’re It Act 5｣![/spoiler]”
>Then you pull, with all your might.
>She waves her hoof, and nothing happens.
>But a few seconds of power flood through you.
>The sudden omnipotence is distracting, but you don’t need to think about what to change.
>”W-WHAT?! What are you doing?”
“Stands are magical energy.”
>”What does that have to-!”
“When two Lyras are using any kind of magic, one of them can redirect it if they’re similar enough, or if the other one isn’t ready. I didn’t learn about it until today, but you never learned about it at all! You never bothered trying to use magic with another version of yourself around!”
>Around the two of you, the bodies of Lyras disappear.
>And the bodies of your group reappear on the polished floor, each slumped in an imitation of sleep.
>LYRA observes this in horror, then rage.
>”Do you think that MATTERS?! I only need a minute of power to undo everything you just did, and your little trick is never going to happen again! In fact--”
>Her horn glows, five times brighter than yours ever has.
>It looks painful.
>”If that’s how it works, I’ll just use that redirection to make you yield up your power to me, you insufferable twit!”
>You run towards her.
“You never spent any time with Bon Bon either, so you wouldn’t be ready for-”
>”I DON’T CARE! You should have killed me when you had the chance! ｢Tag You’re It Act 5｣!”
>But it doesn’t show up.
>You punch her as she realizes this.
>It’s a satisfying blow to her cheekbone, and she stumbles as your power activates.
>The bottles fall to the ground and shatter, releasing the souls back into the air.
>”Fine, I’ll take it by force! ｢TAG, YOU’RE IT ACT 4｣.”
>She locks eyes with you, and you stop breathing.
>She grits her teeth, keeping up the effort.
>But it’s too great.
>”How… are you… developing your power like this? ｢Tag, You’re It｣ can’t…”
>Her knees buckle, and she falls over, her eyes resting closer to the floor.
>Your heartbeat returns to normal.
“I didn’t use ｢Tag, You’re It｣. I switched out my Stand with one outside the universe, from somepony who shared my destiny, just like you switched out all of theirs.”
>”There’s no Lyra with a Stand that--”
“You’re right. And that kind of thinking is why you lost. ｢PRAM｣!”
>You pummel her into the ground, but she won’t fall unconscious.
>Good.
>”I didn’t try to kill you. I need you alive. I need your ‘automatic magic defenses’ to make your power activate so you can put all of the Bon Bons back!”
>She grits her teeth.
>”Fine! FINE!”
>You feel her power increasing.
>”｢TAG, YOU’RE IT ACT 5｣!”
>Suddenly, a number of Bon Bons appear in the room, all unconscious.
>She breathes harder and reaches out.
>You’re too distracted by your sudden rush of relief to stop her grabbing hold of your hoof.
>”That was my last backup. And I know what I need to do now. If I’m going to find the First Alicorns I can’t let any other versions of me live. I’ll remove all of you from the multiverse, whether it hurts me or not!”
>”｢The Spy Who Loved Me｣!”
>Heartstrings calls out, propping herself up.
>Her soul fell back towards her body, drawn by her resolve towards victory!
>It may have helped that you switched out the copy of ｢Tag, You’re It｣ inside.
>And that you drew all of them in that direction with a hoofstep on the way to your first punch.
>｢Pram｣ is probably your new favorite Stand.
>LYRA cries out as she’s pounding further into the floor.
>She’s leaving a dent in it.
>The only thing keeping her conscious is her Stand supplying new material for her body.
>You can see her coat subtly rolling, like stop-motion.
>”Then I’ll just destroy this entire universe, and make a new one for myself while you all scatter to the void! I won’t be destroyed like this! ｢Tag, You’re It, Ac-”
>And then the force snaps her back leg.
>You relent, a little.
>”No! No, you can’t abandon me! I STILL HAVE TIME!”
>You shake your head, resisting the urge to tsk.
“Intense gravity forces time to move faster. That’s just basic.”
>And then she falls unconscious.


>ng stops.
>Whuh?
>Where are you?
>Right, in the middle of nowhere.
>You guess your head got a little foggy for a moment.
>But where’s Lyra?
>You look around for her in the sky, expecting a loop-de-loop or something.
>No sign.
>You swear, if she took you to another universe and then got lost somewhere...
>Suddenly, you hear a portal shimmer into existence.
>And Lyra’s voice.
>”-long as she has the chance to meet one. I think it could help her.”
>She steps through casually, alongside...
>A doppelganger in an eyepatch.
>A third pony comes in behind them.
>You.
>O-or it looks like you, except with sunglasses and a suit on.
>Maybe a slightly better conditioner.
>What’s...?
>She says something to Lyra.
>”I’ll see what I can do. It’s going to be a nightmare convincing the ECR not to come down on us over this.”
>Lyra scratches her mane.
>”Eheh. Uh, sorry.”
>Eyepatch shakes her head curtly.
>”No, you did good work. Without you, this all might have been doomed from the start.”
>Suit smiles, slightly.
>”Yes, you brought back a lot of balance today that might have been taken away. There are still ponies like her out there, and maybe there is some way we can help them.”
>She leans in closer, and you can’t see Lyra’s expression.
>Then the other you kisses her on the cheek.
>”Thank you.”
>You glower, but she doesn’t look at you.
>She heads back through the portal, and Eyepatch goes after her.
>”Your Stand should come back when you do something to reassert your destiny. Keep out of trouble until then. I don’t want to see you again for a long time.”
>”Ha, thanks.”
>Then, smiling like the cat that got the cream, she swings around to you.
>Whatever just happened, she’s positively drunk on it.
>You turned your back for a few seconds and… and you don’t even know what!
>Is this just her attempt to make you pay more attention to her?
>No, no, best to start with the biggest issue before you start pulling her ear..
“So there are two more of us running around?”
>She laughs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaX-J1yBeig

Stand: ｢The Spy Who Loved Me｣
User: Heartstrings
Ability: Long-range Stand. After its activation, automatically sabotages the first act made by any target against the user. Does not work subsequently unless the target leaves range and reenters.

Stand: ｢Savoy Truffle｣
User: Minuette
Ability: Pulls in background radiation from around the user and manifests it in solid form.

Stand: ｢Dedicated Thespian｣
User: Minuette
Ability: ???

Stand: ｢Voltaire｣
User: Vampyra
Ability: The user can fire beams of light through their eyes that rip through space.

Stand: ｢Bye Bye Bye｣
User: Temerity Strings
Ability: Transforms the user’s body into that of an extinct animal. The user cannot take the form of the same species more than once.

Stand: ｢Changelings Aren’t So Bad｣
User: Lyra From CHS
Ability: Turns objects into other objects of the same “kind”; ex. a rocking chair into an armchair.

Stand: ｢Tag, You’re It Act 5｣
User: LYRA
Ability: “Vibrates” physical matter into, out of, or between realities. Possesses infinite range, but decays into a stable Act within roughly a minute of being summoned. Does not affect the user.

>”Settle down already, we had to do a lot of looking around to find her.”
>”Let me out of this cell! I’ll leave all of you alone! I only want to find out where they are!”
>”Everypony’s in the castle, don’t worry. We’re going to have a nice d-”
>”NO, the First Alicorns! I need to know what happened to the ponies who put all of this here, who wove our destinies in the first place!”
>Sigh.
>”You know, this imprint isn’t very healthy. And I’m one to talk.”
>”And what if something happened to them?! It could mean that you’re all doomed anyway! I just need to know that there’s SOMETHING bigger than me out in this MISERABLE MULTIVERSE!”
>...
>”Er, Clan Queen, are you receiving? ...Uh, yeah… it’s not… no, it’s just gonna be tricky. Make sure she wears the caramel vanilla rub, I’ve got extra in my third boudoir.”
>”AAUGH, STOP THAT INFERNAL SCREECHING!”
>“...Yeah, she’s going to take a little convincing.”