CRBA, Episode 25: The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun

Care Root’s Bizarre Adventure, Episode 25: The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun

>Be Derpy, about an hour ago.
>Sonata Dusk is looking up at you from the floor.
>She looks raw and animalistic, and generally used up.
>Desperate.
>Her eyes are on the three gems and you, instead of Care or Scootaloo.
>Which is good, because Care’s not-
>”｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣!”
>Scootaloo says, and the space gets even more cramped.
“Stop!”
>You say, putting out a hand.
>Scootaloo freezes for a moment, and nobody moves.
>You look at Sonata, who’s backed up to a wall now, teeth gritted.
>”We’re running out of time.”
>Care murmurs to himself, sitting down now.
>”Twilight’s coming to take the gems. With the power she’s still got on her side, there’s no way for us to stop her. I… I don’t have enough...”
>His voice trails off.
“I know.”
>You say, without looking at him.
>Somehow, in this commotion, Twilight switched bodies with yours.
>You’re realizing more and more that she’s behind this.
>Her and Sunset, together, have been orchestrating this from the beginning.
>What you need to focus on, now that you know, is the path ahead.
“You haven’t figured out a way to get rid of the gems, have you?”
>The question echoes out to everyone in the container.
>There’s no response.
>You figured.
“Then here.”
>You take one gem and toss it across the tight space.
>Sonata snatches it out of the air, and her face becomes unreadable.
>She’s confused, maybe.
“I saw what happened to Anonymous. He’s not doing good. I don’t even know for sure if he’s alive. But I know what it’s like to give everything you have to save someone, and you deserve to try.”
>Scootaloo balks at you.
>”That’s… that defeats the entire point of bringing the gems together in the first place!”
>You smile.
“All we need to do is keep one gem out of their hands. If we can do that, we’ve already won.”
>The words ring hollow, even to you.
>But you’re out of options.
>Even if you can’t get rid of them permanently, if you can stop Twilight and Sunset from winning today, and distract them long enough for Sonata to do what she has to...
>”It won’t matter.”
>Care says, looking at both of you from his corner.
>His eyes look empty.
>”They’ll keep searching. If ｢Timbuk Three｣ won’t allow the gems to be destroyed, and I don’t have enough power left to force it to change, then...”
“We’ll find a way. I won’t let this go any further south, for either of us.”
>You tell him.
>And then, carefully, you have him right the container, and try to plan your next line of attack.

>Be Princess Twilight.
>Of the four people whose energy is focused on making this portal, you’re the first one to see the results.
>It’s still trying to form - Midnight can create portals once there’s a real connection.
>But yes, you’re certain it’s not a trick of the light, you can see the color and feel the natural warmth of Equestria.
>Magic itself is trying to make a connection, but it’s complicated and it needs weaving...
>In spite of the rain, you focus on it, reaching out for that connection.
>Wait, rain?
>You snap out of your portion of the intense concentration, even though you know it’s a bad idea.
>The floor is wet, starting to pool with water.
>Sunset and the other two versions of you haven’t noticed yet.
>But overhead - the sprinklers have been turned on.
>Your heart sinks.
>Something’s going wrong.
>Of course something’s going wrong, but you can’t tell what.
>The portal’s not even close to being stable yet, it needs guidance.
>But if someone shows up out of nowhere and pushes you into it, you’ll be stuck in Limbo.
>You pull out ｢Midnight Special｣ and sweep it away from your other selves, searching for the Stand.
>You expect to feel out the normal, distant Stands, but you don’t.
>There’s a couple scattered around, but the closest is in the hallway above you.
>And probably heading your way.
>You’d need to see the user to know who it is, but there are only so many candidates by now.
>You pick the worst one, and you know you have to respond.
>This is too volatile a moment for anyone to disrupt it.
>Which means you have to deal with it alone and come back.
>If worst comes to worst you’ll have to reschedule this another hour or two in the future.
>But sunset’s on the way, and that means that Derpy can continue to create problems for you.
>You thought you’d broken the spirit of Care’s group, but you’re not willing to bet on it.
>Not when you’re this close...

>Be Sunny Flare, earlier.
>The kid, Silver Spoon, is a lot more dangerous now than she was just before.
>You keep an eye on her.
>It’s the downside to ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣, you have to deal with it yourself to escape it completely.
>You must be stronger than the will of Indigo Zap!
>At least here you had Sugarcoat to coach you, and some help in getting rid of it quickly.
>For the most part she’s calm and still, sitting by Anonymous and Mr. Filthy Rich.
>Rainbow herself zipped off a minute ago, to find her friends and give a status report.
>Until then, you’re playing babysitter, and making sure none of the three get up.
>”You know that he’s dead, don’t you?”
>Silver asks.
>You don’t know which one she’s talking about, but you don’t answer.
>If you help her work herself up, she might get desperate enough to try the new Stand.
>But as long as she doesn’t understand what’s going on, you can keep her here and under control.
>”Do you just not care that people have to die for your plans to work out?”
>That one stings, and you meet her gaze.
>She has all the anger of someone who hasn’t even gone through their growth spurt.
>The same idea of playground ‘fairness’.
”I’ve been in situations where my life has been in danger. Even my ability has the power to kill someone, and I’ve never used it for that purpose.”
>All you want is to fulfill your obligations and be with your Aligot.
>There’s no reason to bloody your hands over it.
“Meanwhile, the man I presume you’re talking about tried to keep me prisoner and torture me for information. And the other one is a madman who could and would strike out against anyone. If you want to blame someone for people dying, choose them.”
>She grits her teeth, and you worry.
>It shouldn’t be possible for Indigo to assert herself so quickly.
>There’s a standard limit, something like a few days for it to take hold, even confirmed by Twilight.
>If it’s applied to a weak-enough user, does it dominate them faster?
>”I’m sick of having this argument!”
>She shouts.
>”You’re wrong! Admit it already!”
>Each syllable comes out like a bullet trying to pierce you.
>But you don’t let it get to you.
“You can’t hold the whole world responsible for a death you don’t like. If these two are still alive, then we’ll try to save them, and if not then no one forced them to be here! Would you be cursing the heavens if I died here?!”
>You’re starting to get a little heated yourself, now.
>Talking yourself up, as they say.
>She stands up from where she’s sitting, and you can feel the energy starting to come off of her.
>You remember that Rainbow said she’d be back soon, and that without her this isn’t a surefire battle.
>And you don’t care.
>Silver runs at you, and out of her bursts ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣.
>She doesn’t flinch, or act surprised, and it speeds ahead of her.
>The jumpsuited spirit reels back a fist, ready to take out half of your teeth.
“｢Royals｣.”
>And then your hand catches it.
>｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ shimmers, just for a moment, and you contort it in your mind’s eye.
>Silver’s stopped in her tracks now, struggling against you.
>It’s all for naught, unfortunately.
>Soon the Stand has a second Stand branching off of its back, and it spasms like an overturned beetle.
>She cries out with the pain, reeling backwards, but you don’t let go.
>Now that you have control of it, you fold it back downwards.
>Instead of two Stands, an arm with a second arm coming out of it, hanging in the air like some malformed piece of modern sculpture.
>Silver’s connection to the Stand isn’t perfect yet, so it’s not enough to kill her.
>But she looks abstracted, weak, staring down at the ground.
>This fight doesn’t mean anything, and you almost let her go, but she’s proven to be a threat.
>If you just-
>Agh!
>You feel something sweep over you, and you realize.
>She’s not staring at the ground.
>She’s staring at her hands!
>And sure enough, one of them is exactly your shade of teal.
>Suddenly you can feel ｢Royals｣ sweeping over you.
>Trying to...
>Crush...
>No, you’re not some car being condensed into a tin can!
>And you’re not going to die like this!
>It takes a force of will, like pulling your hand out of a mixture of cement just before it’s hardened.
>You feel like you might lose part of yourself completely!
>It’s like trying to pull apart one of those finger traps!
>But still, pressing against that force, the mirror of yourself, you disengage.
>Immediately you take a few steps backwards, and the Stand itself dissipates.
>Silver’s breathing becomes heavier.
>If she figures out how to use ｢Royals｣ in conjunction with ｢NFBD｣...
>You can’t allow that.
“What does any of this accomplish for you? I know for a fact that all three of the gems are going to be gathered up by now, and that everyone in your little guerrilla squadron is outnumbered. Stop picking fights that can’t help anyone!”
>Her eyes burn.
>”I’m not fighting you for a tactical advantage, or some big strategy! I’m fighting you because you’re wrong! Because my sisters have risked themselves for something, and I have to help them! After all that we’ve been through, and what we’ve had to lose, I have to give my everything!”
>She rushes towards you, screaming the words.
>And then ｢Royals｣ takes over.
>The exact area was hard to pinpoint, but through your shoes you’ve felt out the local landscape.
>Once you have your line of symmetry in your mind’s eye, you push it out into the world.
>And the shipping containers multiply around you, moving into new positions.
>No sooner has Silver sensed this than one materializes around her, trapping her in the dark.
>You concentrate on holding it in place.
>｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ is still a threat, but if she’s stuck in a single area, you can do your best to ignore it and deal with her directly.
>But then- agh!
>Something happened while you weren’t looking - one of the Sirens is kneeling down over the bodies!
>The one who hunted you inside of the Factory hallways, the one you barely escaped being minced by.
>You freeze up for a moment, expecting her to swivel her head like an owl to lock eyes with you.
>But she doesn’t seem aware of you.
>She’s focused entirely on the body on the right.
>Anonymous.
>Sounds come out of her mouth, but you can’t make them out from here.
>This is still bad and you know it.
>You still can’t let go of ｢Royals｣, so you silently position Silver’s container between yourself and your enemy, waiting for a sign of attack.
>Then you hear the rubber squealing of Rainbow deactivating her ｢Simple Plan｣.
>She’s back, and that means you’re evenly matched!
>If you can get close enough to touch Sonata you can get rid of her as a threat, but-
>｢NFBD｣ jumps out of the wall of the container and rushes for you, and you dance back and to one side.
>It still hasn’t been two minutes, but you’re not going to be forced to--
>Suddenly the sound comes again, closer to you.
>Rainbow’s only a few feet away, turning the corner, and she looks at you with a little shock.
>Of course there’s no way Silver should be using your one-time Stand this well, but-
>Rainbow’s face immediately hardens, and she jolts along, aiming a fist for ｢NFBD｣.
>it connects, and the Stand nearly dissipates, falling backwards like a bad stuntperson.
>It lays on the ground for a moment, limp and useless.
>Being punched by Rainbow means being punched at sixty miles per hour, which can be nearly fatal.
>Even someone as hardy and well-trained as Indigo might not stand up to it.
>Then she’s next to you, voice low.
>”We’ve got new orders. If we can take out Sonata, that’s good, but so long as she leaves us alone, we leave her alone.”
“But- but the ge-”
>”Don’t need it. Sunset and Twilight have a plan to make it all work out, and I don’t get it either. We just have to keep everyone in here while they open the portal, and then we can all go home.”
>Hearing from another person that it’s closed to being finished fills in a part of you that feels empty.
>You feel like bells should ring across the sky, that you’ve almost saved Equestria and the rest is just not making a stupid mistake.
>But still, that’s...
>Just not enough.
>Not for a real victory, and not for the fear that you had to go through.
“If you can carry me next to her, I can put her down with one touch.”
>You’re not entirely sure of that, you think there might be a nightmare scenario where ｢Royals｣ simply does nothing at all to her, but you don’t say that.
>If the plans have changed to let that monster roam free, then she’s still a threat to you and others.
>You won’t be the survivor in a horror movie who gets hunted down in the sequel!
>Rainbow reads your expression, and nods firmly.
>You knew that she wouldn’t want to see this drag on any longer than it has to!
>”It’s almost impossible to sneak up on her because of her Stand, so we’ll only have one chance. If you think it’s worth it...”
>And then, suddenly, you hear a car rolling in the distance.
>Coming closer.
>It’s not ｢Party Rock｣ - it’s coming from entirely the wrong direction.
>Some other backup Sunset ordered?
>You don’t remember any mention after you were picked up, but she might have another bolthole of friends to call on.
>You glance over at Rainbow for answers, but she’s looking in the same direction.
>Are the police still coming after you?
>You don’t like the thought of that.
>Although Twilight’s assured all of you that it’s possible for her to help you out of legal trouble, what she wants is for everyone to stay in this area.
>You doubt it matters much, but what she really wants is a diversion.
>As long as Care’s forces have to face down yours, they aren’t going to be launching any last-second counterattacks.
>Change the terms of that equation too much, and everything’s going to get messy fast.
>Suddenly you feel a surge of energy in the ground.
>Nothing happens at first, and Rainbow doesn’t give any sign of feeling it, but it’s familiar.
>Almost like an echo of your-
>Oh, no.
>You turn to Rainbow, trying to think of the position of every container in the yard.
>And then the world snaps around you, and both of you are inside of one.
>A twin to the one Silver Spoon is trapped inside, no doubt.
>She reacts worse than you, stumbling backwards for a second.
>”Hey, why did you go on defense?!”
>Her voice is shrill and echoing here.
“Silver Spoon caught me off-guard and touched my hand. She’s figured out how to use ｢Royals｣ now.”
>Rainbow doesn’t flinch at how clearly impossible this should be.
>You shouldn’t have been able to transfer the Stand to someone who was stronger than you at using it, that defeats the purpose.
>For a moment you have a scary thought, that Silver didn’t really resist you.
>That she understood some of what was about to happen and took on your one-time Stand anyway.
>But that’s impossible.
>You try to think of your next course of action - these all have doors, but they’re not always openable.
>If Rainbow just fires something at the door with ｢Simple Plan｣ she can bust any mechanism strong enough to keep you both trapped here.
>But that would also easily alert Sonata to whatever’s going on, if she hasn’t already noticed, or even cares.
>You’re frozen on that - you don’t want to give up the chance to fight either of them.
“We might have to split up. I can take care of Sonata if you stop Silver.”
>Her face sets for a moment as she runs through that in her head, maybe drawing little football diagrams of you two forking off for separate goals.
>And then ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ slides through the wall behind her.
>It seizes on her immediately, the closer of the two of you, and springs for her.
>She turns with it, and kicks off, throwing herself out of the way like she’s in a martial arts movie.
>You put out a hand to stop Indigo’s spirit, tightening your muscles to resist the impact.
>But she turns towards Rainbow immediately and races for her.
>The space is too cramped for Rainbow to really work her magic, and she’s only going to wear herself out.
>You wanted to prevent this, but clearly Silver’s trying to force you to cancel what ｢Royals｣ put into the world.
>She’s making your freedom coequal with hers.
>Rainbow sidesteps another attack, ducking like she’s doing some kind of dance move.
>When she returns fire, her fist connects, and ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ goes flying like a bullet.
>You’re expecting it, but you can still feel the rush of air as she zooms past you.
>Okay, now’s the time!
>Before she can hit the far wall, you deactivate your Stand.
>And, reaching a little further out, you try to deactivate her instance, too.
>You can’t, but this container is a branch off of the one she’s trapped in.
>She has only half a second of fresh air before yours melts away too, and you start running.
>You don’t even stop to get a good look at Silver - she’s Rainbow’s problem now.
>And either way, you have the tougher one to face.
>Sonata still hasn’t turned around, but you have to assume she’s noticed you.
>You’re still racing towards her, but once you get close enough, she’s going to react!
>If she moves to the left or the right, you can reach out a hand and jump.
>And if she turns around, she’s yours.
>You realize now that your arms might be forfeit - every bone could be crushed.
>But if that’s the price of victory, then there’s no other choice!
>You rush for her, and her gentle singing goes quiet.
>The gem is glowing like a miniature sun.
>She looks back at you over her shoulder - you’re still a good three yards away!
>You can only see her eyes, but they sweep over you with utter disinterest.
>For a moment you expect to lose control of your body, or to be brainwashed, and you try to remember the advice for handling that.
>You aren’t carrying the earplugs you were given, way back when.
>But you realize you’ve slowed down, and she turns back to whatever she’s doing.
>You force your legs to move, pounding your feet against the earth, even as you start to feel that it’s not a good idea.
>Her singing starts up again, and you do your best to block it out, although you don’t think it’s for you.
>And then there’s another sound, louder, cutting over everything else and echoing into the sky.
>Your heart stops.
>Looking down, patting yourself - you’re not bleeding and you’re not in shock.
>Not you.
>Your head whips around to the only other source of that kind of noise.
>Rainbow’s laying on the ground like she’s got a sports injury, curling her leg up in the air and clutching for it with both hands.
>A hole in her calf is trickling blood onto the sidewalk, and her face is scrunched up in pain.
>And Silver Spoon is standing right where you left her, holding a pistol.
>The world stops for a moment, and you realize.
>She took it from Anonymous when she ran over to inspect the two bodies!
>You don’t know how much more ammunition she has, then, but she’s not firing a second shot.
>She’s not even firing on you.
>She’s gotten the result she wanted.
>Your blood runs cold, and then the car bursts in.
>It’s not the police, or any other car you recognize - something relatively fancy you might have seen in the Crystal Prep parking lot.
>The dominant color in the design is a dark purple - maybe it’s stolen, if you don’t know who’s in it.
>But inside, in the driver’s or the passenger’s -
>You don’t recognize them either.
>Come on, your eyesight’s better than this!
>You focus on the colors instead of the people, and in the back -
>Blue, orange, a light violet to match the darker ones in the front-
>No, wait, finally you recognize them!
>Snips and Snails, the two CHS boys who were helping out.
>Together they formed almost a sort of counterpart to the elite Crusaders.
>And that meant the rest...
>Not anyone you’d have a reason to notice, normally, but these are your backup.
>They used to be bit players on the battlefield, but Sunset repossessed them.
>Something about them having a bad fate without her - and now here they are!
>But - no.
>You remember something about one of them during the night at Pinkie Pie’s Shoppe - Mystery Mint?
>Something-
>The car isn’t slowing down.
>It’s accelerating.
>And the scarfed girl in the driver’s seat is staring straight through you.

>Be Princess Twilight, in the present.
>You’ve climbed the stairs, even with water trickling down them.
>If they’re just trying to flood the basement they’re not going to do much.
>But the arrow hasn’t moved from where it was last pointing.
>You breach the hallway proper, looking in the other direction first for an ambush.
>Nothing.
>But where it was pointing -
>Oh, you knew it.
>Standing there is Care Root, arms folded, watching patiently down the hallway.
>His shirt’s a little wet, but he doesn’t have the usual look of misery.
>It’s more like he’s resolved to his fate - which means he thinks he has a fate to be resolved to.
>He watches you steadily for a moment, and then opens his mouth to say something.
>You point the arrow at him like you’re firing first in a cowboy movie.
>It seizes on his Stand immediately, and he stops in the middle of an unheard syllable as it wracks his body.
>It’s weak, maybe too weak for your purposes.
>You’d use it still if you could, just for the sake of having a spark, but you need to prioritize.
>With a twist of your forearm, the arrow spirals in your hand, and you burn it out completely.

>Be Derpy, earlier.
>There’s movement outside, around the defined edges of your stronghold.
>A couple minutes ago, you pressed an ear to the opening of the door, enough to hear out of.
>And you really didn’t like what you heard.
>If it’s possible for them to still create the portal, even with only two of the gems, then you gave them exactly what they needed.
>Even your final act of defiance wasn’t enough.
>But worse, you heard a snippet of something else.
>Applejack’s voice, talking to Rainbow Dash.
>”Twilight mentioned we should keep our eyes peeled for the Crusaders. I don’t take it you’ve seen ‘em, have you?”
>That sent your heart up into your throat.
>Twilight didn’t tell them, specifically so that she could slow you down.
>Even if you convinced them that you had good intentions and weren’t worth fighting...
>And a little later, Fluttershy.
>”I should be able to talk to them inside of the container. If we make them come out gently then they might not lash out at us.”
>Followed by Applejack:
>”That sounds like a good idea, but I don’t trust these two to do anything sensible. Plus we’ve got to keep watch for Diamond Tiara.”
>That sent your heart racing.
>But then you settled down again.
>Diamond’s power was very tricky to handle, but even if she had a masterplan to save you, it probably wouldn’t work.
>Care isn’t completely out, but he’s running on empty.
>Which means, in short, that good things can’t happen to him.
>For all you know Diamond’s trying to make a difference at this very moment, only to run headfirst into a light-wall.
>But her and Sonata are still out there.
>There’s still something you can have hope in!
>At the far end of the container, you see something shimmer in the afternoon sky.
>It halts in the entrance, and at first it’s hard to look at.
>It’s some kind of glass sculpture, in the form of something like a capybara, low to the ground and loping.
>It looks at you, and casts a kind of reverse-shadow of sunlight against the floor of the container.
>But it doesn’t move.
>Then, from the doors closest to you, there’s a voice.
>Fluttershy.
>”H… Hello? Can you hear us in there?”
>You debate answering her, but you don’t have much of a choice.
>With a glance back to make sure the Crusaders haven’t stirred, you move closer to the door.
”I can hear you, Fluttershy.”
>”Oh.”
>She sounds startled for a moment.
>”Hi, Derpy. We’ve, um, got you surrounded. We’re hoping we can come up with a peaceful way to make sure you don’t try anything too… extreme, right now.”
“Are Silver and Trixie still okay?”
>”I don’t know about Trixie, but Rainbow Dash and Sunny Flare are looking after Silver right now, and she’s doing alright.”
>...Good.
>If nothing else, you and her should be able to-
>No, don’t think like that.
>Don’t try to get used to going on without him, you’re not done yet!
>”Would you mind if we, um, opened the door and came in? We don’t really want to fight you, and we can probably patch you up if you’re hurt.”
>You look back and see the construct standing in the entryway.
>It’s no closer, but you can see others behind it now.
>You don’t see a reason for them to bluff you, so you probably are surrounded.
>Which means that if you were going to fight your way out you’d have to deal with...
>All five of them besides Rainbow Dash, and Flash Sentry on top of that.
>Six to two, and Care would have to do all of the real fighting.
“Twilight altered the inside of this container to get you to attack us. Letting you in would be putting ourselves in danger.”
>There’s a pause that stretches out into a silence.
>Applejack approaches and speaks next.
>”We have someone here who can make you open the door if you’re lying. Tell us what happened.”
>You’re about to, but…
“I don’t know all of it. Care would tell you the whole story, but if it made all of you believe us then his Stand would probably stop him.”
>”That sounds mighty convenient for you. I saw you attacking Twilight and Sunset when they tried to get in, so how do I know you’re not stalling for time?”
>You are.
“You don’t. But we can’t let you in either way.”
>”Do you have some way to stop us?”
>You feel a well of resolve open up inside of you.
>”I won’t let you in, no matter what you try.”
>Just as long as you can think of-
>Something flies through the wall of the container.
>Small, compact - you don’t have time to dodge before it hits you.
>It doesn’t hurt, but -
>But you suddenly feel a need to -
>Eat an apple?
>Is this Applejack’s - no, it’s one of the Crystal Prep girls’ abilities!
>And it’s bad news, you have to -
>Stop thinking about -
>Applejack’s voice comes back, serious and with a tinge of smugness.
>”If you open the door, I’ll give you an apple. I have one on me right now.”
>You force yourself to take a step back and cover your mouth, fighting the drool piling up in it.
>No way are you doing that!
>You just -
>Have to -
>Care’s hand is on your shoulder.
>You don’t remember him getting up.
>”You aren’t giving me any choice.”
>He shouts, and his voice echoes in the confined space.
>”｢Timbuk Three｣!”
>He says, and the entire shipping container turns around you.
>It’s like you’re standing in the middle of a clock watching the second hand move around you - the far end swings wildly.
>You hear glass shattering, and then a shout from behind you that you can’t quite make out.
>And the spin slows, being pushed against.
>No sooner has it stopped than the top half of the container detaches, cut perfectly in half from the bottom, and goes flying into the air.
>The bodies of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo go flying in three different directions while your eyes are still adjusting.
>Something dark against all the light strikes out for Care like a viper.
>It burns up before it can hit him - some kind of tree branch?
>Applejack grits her teeth as another bough of branches extends from her and grabs her little sister.
>And then ｢Timbuk Three｣ appears behind her and drives both feet into her spine.
>Rarity runs for him, throwing out a hand and shouting.
>”｢Summertime Sa-”
>He ducks slightly and turns towards her automatically.
>His fist drives straight into her nose, and before she can double over ｢Timbuk Three｣ kicks her in the stomach, sending her sprawling backwards.
>”No more special abilities and turning the tables and impossible situations. No more. Give me the apple.”
>At that, the shock wears off.
>Applejack gawks for a moment from where she’s prone on the ground, and then a beam of light kicks her back off of it.
>”GIVE HER THE APPLE.”
>Care raises his voice, and without looking in her direction, a beam of light pierces the phone Fluttershy is desperately typing on.
>Applejack grabs in her pocket for something, looking back up at the body of her sister-
>And ｢Timbuk Three｣’s light rips it out of her grip and singes her hand.
>It flies through the air, and he catches it effortlessly, handing it to you.
>You barely have time to grab it before your teeth are sinking into it, and he regards the sprawled remains of your opponents.
>”Do not underestimate me, or threaten the people I care about.”
>He says to them, and you can finally notice how hard he’s breathing.
>Sugarcoat points at him.
>”But you’re almost out of power, aren’t you? You can’t hold us off indefinitely!”
>He looks directly at her.
>”I can.”
>Then her Stand appears.
>”You were lying! ｢Pavlov’s Daughter｣!”
>It’s a flat silverish disc, almost plastic, and it flies through the air like a frisbee.
>He doesn’t make any attempt to dodge.
>And then you see why.
>｢Timbuk Three｣ appears in the line of fire and grabs a hold of the Stand with both hands.
>Care’s own hands erupt with light like it’s fire.
>And suddenly, violently, it splits the disc in half.
>Like tearing a sheet of paper!
>Sugarcoat reels back, choking on a gasp of air, and then her legs give out.
>She falls backwards, and then she’s gone.
>Fainted.
>Everyone else hesitates for a moment, and ｢Timbuk Three｣ disappears again.
>”We won’t let you make fools of us! Not after you hurt our sisters! ｢Big Yellow Taxi｣!”
>More branches erupt from her skin, and Care doesn’t pay attention.
>They shear off from the point of eruption like hair being shaved.
>It looks like the branches simply collapse around her, or she just cancelled her ability.
>Then a sturdy, shining fist appears and hits her in the abdomen.
>Applejack steps back and braces herself with her arms.
>At the same time, more branches come out of her legs like a mess of spider-limbs.
>They click against the ground and push her back even as they get destroyed, and she jumps out of the way of the attack, landing unharmed.
>Another strikes for her, and she dodges to one side.
>Too late.
>She seems to move towards it as much as away - swaying drunkenly.
>And you realize in the moment what’s happening.
>She does too, or gets an inkling, and nearly shuts her eyes.
>He’s curving the light before it can hit them, so everything seems off-balance!
>Like fish in a lake, she can’t see what’s right in front of her without interference!
>Rarity’s back up and rushing for Care with her hands outstretched, treating her palms like weapons.
>Her face is wincing and turning already, and you rush in front of him.
>You don’t enjoy it, but your foot drives into her chest, and she sprawls backwards.
>You have to agree with him, the fewer Stands get activated, the better this will be.
>Even here, you have to believe that the two of you can carve a path to safe-
>Something pinches at your side, and you realize too late that the two needles are connected to wires which are connected to-
>Flash presses a button, and you’re writhing on the ground trying not to break a bone as the electricity arcs and pops between your muscles.
>There’s a couple of bright lights, bright enough to be visible through your eyelids, and it stops.
>You remember to breathe, and your throat’s sore with your own screams.
>Not very far away, Flash is lying completely unconscious, with his hand held close to himself at an odd angle.
>”Are you alright?”
>Care asks, and you realize he’s talking to you.
>For a moment you look down at yourself, dirty and disheveled.
“Yeah, I’m-”
>You reach down and pull out the needles, grunting.
>Small twin droplets of blood stain the inside of your blouse, and you discard your end of the taser.
>You feel a moment of heat, and the small wounds heal over.
>It makes you smile, and you look up at him.
>He looks very, very tired.
>Applejack rises up behind him with her eyes closed, stiltlike spider-legs carrying her in your direction.
>Care turns back to look at her, and chunks of wood fly for him like missiles.
>Your heart stops, and then they disintegrate.
>As soon as they come within a foot of him, like being fed into a chipper - they’re gone.
>While he’s still half-turned away from her, another fist appears.
>It smashes into her chest, this time, and goes through.
>And she halts, choking, in mid-air.
>The branches draw away while her face freezes, and then she falls to the earth.
>You hope she’s still-
>What are you saying?
>You don’t hope that, that’s only another avenue for them to steal all of the light from Care’s world.
>But you do hope she recovers eventually, a good while from now, for her sister’s sake.
>Care takes a deep breath, and looks down at you.
>He smiles, thinly.
>Sadly.
>You push yourself back up to your feet and think of the next course of action.
“We’re almost out of here - we just need to find wherever they’re keeping Silver and meet up with Diam-”
>Suddenly, and from nowhere, there’s a great tromping sound.
>Like a stampede - and you see the elephant almost too late.
>It appears first as a shimmering in the air, and then you can see the outline - it’s entirely made of glass!
>This is Fluttershy’s, whatever it is.
>Care turns to it, teeth gritted, when it’s already too close for comfort.
>It runs directly into his shield, the edge of it vaporized.
>And at that moment, it collapses from every point.
>The whole thing shatters, raining chunks of glass like an explosion, directed right at both of you!
>You try to duck behind him, and he realizes you’re not protected to.
>A sweep of the hand and the hail stops before it can reach you.
>And then the calm, blue shimmering field in front of you flickers and stops.
>Your breath catches in your throat - another animal comes rushing from behind the container you were hiding in.
>It’s a gorilla this time, taller and broader than either of you.
>Care grits his teeth and turns for the other side of the container.
>And he runs.
>You try to run after him, to stick together - but there’s a blue barrier in your way automatically.
>The gorilla charges, and you run in the opposite direction, strafing around it in a circle.
>It’s not interested in you - only in the blue light.
>It was sent with him as its target, not you.
>Another elephant rears its head back and stomps its way from around that corner.
>It’s footsteps shake the earth slightly.
>You’ve been keeping your eyes open for anyone getting up again, and the best culprit’s obviously Fluttershy.
>It’s heading toward the other side of the container, toward Care.
>You run towards it.
>It doesn’t notice you, and you don’t try to disturb it.
>Clearly these creatures are designed to shatter explosively, and you don’t need shards of glass covering you.
>It’s hulking steps are carrying it through to Care at the same rate as an actual elephant, and you duck past it in plenty of time to see Fluttershy.
>She’s pressed herself up against the outline of her shadow, trying to be as small of a target as possible.
>She turns to you and suddenly looks deathly afraid.
>”｢Glass Animals｣!”
>She shouts, cupping her hands and thrusting them at you, and a glass bat screeches into existence zig-zagging for your neck.
>You punch through it, and it shatters on your fist like cracking a mirror.
>She backs away, biting her lip.
>”｢Glass-”
“｢Spinal Tap｣!”
>You shout, and she flinches just long enough.
>You don’t have anything to break, but you close the distance.
>And your bloodied fist closes around the neck of her shirt.
>She struggles to turn away from you, and you stare at her with all the menace you can muster.
”Call off your attack.”
>She barely seems to understand the words, and then you punch her dead center in the ribs.
>She gasps for air for a moment and comes to life, and you hear the clattering of glass on the ground.
>You have to hope it wasn’t on him.
>She goes back to struggling, and you hesitate for a moment.
>She’s too dangerous.
>She’s Fluttershy, but she’s too dangerous.
>There’s...
>Too dangerous.
>You put your fist into your ribs again -
>But this time, a shield of blue light stops you.
>You get within centimeters, but it won’t happen.
>Your heart sinks.
>And in that moment of despair, she tears free.
>You’re lucky that she doesn’t see the opportunity for what it is.
>She just turns and runs in a random direction, as far away from you as she can get in unselfconscious, bounding steps.
>You turn back to look at the rest of the people Care knocked out and -
>Oh, no, no.
>You run for the other side of the container, turning two corners and - there he is.
>Not cut into ribbons, thank goodness, but he’s huddled against the wall and he looks way too much like Fluttershy did.
>He notices you.
“Care, something’s happening, ｢Timbuk Three｣ is flashing lights in front of some of them, it’s trying to wake them up!”
>You say in between successive breaths.
>He looks up at you and scowls - for a moment you almost think he’s angry at you.
>He doesn’t say anything, and you fear for the worst.
“Do you still…”
>You ask, even though you don’t want to.
>Throughout all of this, you’ve never wanted to know what he had to sacrifice.
>There was no point thinking about what you could’ve had, it only got in the way of making your life better.
>At least, until there wasn’t any way to do that any more, and everything you’d been ignoring crashed down on you all at once.
>He shakes his head.
>”There’s… not enough to use, I...”
>He chokes and swallows his words, suddenly emotional.
>”Our daughter…”
>He breathes sharply through his nose and tries to stand up.
>You move over to help him, on instinct, and then stop yourself before ｢Timbuk Three｣ can stop you.
>You...
>You didn’t even know you wanted a daughter until he said that.
>And then you’re the frozen one.
>You want to tell him to run and go find a life somewhere else, or, or to keep fighting off all of the people here.
>But neither of those would do anything, and you’d wind up being held down and roughed up and then you’d leave without him and lie to your mom and live in France and
>And even Twilight’s going to get what she wants, everyone but him and you can’t even make it okay!
>You wish you’d strangled Fluttershy.
>You wish the whole world could end before this played out.
>You’ve been trying to think of some way to save him this whole time, but you’d need longer!
>It can’t end here!
>And then, out of nowhere, come Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
>They appear from thin air - Silver sitting, and Diamond slumping to the ground, exhausted.
>You try to see where they came from, and glimpse Care just as confused as you are.
>Diamond heaves her breaths, pointing at Care weakly.
>”Almost - out of - - - power.”
>Neither of you can tell if it’s a question, but he nods.
>The shock of seeing her’s drawn both of you out of your despair.
>In fact, Silver looks just as confused.
>”What’s-”
>Diamond interrupts her, not even looking.
>”Used it up - fighting with all of - the Rainbooms. That’s fine. I’ve - got an answer.”
>No sooner has she said that than ｢Timbuk Three｣ flashes up a barrier between her and Care.
>In fact, it’s big enough to block out Silver, too.
>You can hear people getting up, woozy voices conversing - not good.
>If they see you, you’re all sitting ducks.
>You turn your attention to Diamond, trying to hurry her.
“What’s the way? Maybe I can-”
>Diamond forces herself to stand.
>”No. It - has to be me. Silver, send out your Stand.”
>You blink at her, and so does your little sister, but then she does.
>It’s -
>Not ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣.
>Care seems to understand what’s going on better than you.
>And then he slumps back against the wall.
>”It’s useless. I can only hold off ｢Timbuk Three｣ while I have it active, and I can’t dismiss it while you try to do that to me.”
>Diamond holds her hands out.
>”I don’t want you to dismiss it. And it’s going to be a bigger problem in a couple days, so ｢Timbuk Three｣ shouldn’t reject it all the way. I just need to get it as close to that screen as possible.”
>She motions to Silver, and around the corner of the container you can see Applejack again, staggering like a zombie and holding her forehead with one hand.
>”It’s just not going to work. Run.”
>Care says weakly, focused entirely on Silver and Diamond.
>You’re starting to think all of you are doomed, that even trying to convince people to change their minds is useless.
>That’s the swamp he’s sinking into, now.
>The feeling of absolute helplessness.
>Except Diamond doesn’t look discouraged, even a little.
>In fact, she seems almost excited.
>She points at Care, and raises her voice.
>”Your Stand’s pretty powerful, but it can only move at the speed of light. ｢Pink Act 3｣!”
>And then everything rearranges.

>Be Care Root, in the present.
>The detector was right, two of the gems are here.
>Somehow it’s actually three, but you didn’t have time to think about that on the way.
>You were also correct that Twilight was nervous - at least bad enough to shoot first and ask questions later.
>When she gripped at your Stand, you thought for a moment that the whole game was up.
>But then a blast of blue light exploded against her arrow.
>Not as much as you’d like.
>Not enough to make up for...
>Just, not enough.
>But she’s looking down at her Stand with her mouth open, and then back up at you.
>And by then you’ve closed the distance.
>All you have to do is get through her and fuck up whatever it is she’s doing.
>You punch her, and she notices that your fist doesn’t look right.
>But she has no combat experience, and with the shock to her system it lands.
>She doesn’t feel anything, and it’s not very satisfying - so much for a good punch to the nose.
>But she takes a couple steps back, and that’s what you need.
>Without another glance at her, you spin ninety degrees and beeline for the stairs she came up.
>This is her base of operations, and on the way up she had to get rid of any traps or defenses she had.
>It’s a straight shot from here to whatever she’s set up!
>She overcomes the surprise you’ve jolted her with, and you can feel the power of her Stand washing over you again.
>More carefully, this time - a teacher looking for evidence of cheating.
>She’ll figure it out in a moment, but that doesn’t matter.
>Even with your body seizing up - if you can just...
>Your arm moves like it’s actively being petrified, but you force it to come up out of your pocket.
>Nothing dramatic, just the right angle.
>”｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣.”
>She breathes, through the pattering of artificial rain.
>She’s probably realizing that’s why you could get past her so quickly.
>｢Lemon Demon｣ was a very useful Stand, and it could be copied without much trouble.
>You can feel the surge of ｢Timbuk Three｣ on her again, but it’s not important.
>She focuses the arrow again, but it’s pointing between your shoulderblades.
>You replace the patch of skin with Derpy’s - and feel suddenly very odd.
>But with ｢Spinal Tap｣ unsummoned, there’s nothing to activate.
>She’s not going to stop with that, but it doesn’t matter either.
>You gained the few seconds you needed.
>The floor down there is completely covered in water.
>There are even early signs of flooding!
>So, with a twitch of your finger, you fire Flash’s taser down the stairs.
>The needles clatter against the floor - nothing soft to stick themselves into.
>And then the current does its magic.
>Twilight gasps when she sees it, and then it’s over.
>You can’t hear if it did anything, but she thinks it did.
>The arrow swings around to point through a wall, and again you’ve got a sliver of opportunity.
>Even if it didn’t work, you can get down the stairs now.
>You jump and nearly throw yourself down, anything to get out of range as quickly as possible.
>The stairs are slick, and falling down them would be the stupidest way to die, but you burn Lemon Zest’s hands sliding down the handrails.
>Then you run through.

>Be Care, earlier.
>Everything changed in the moment after Diamond said that.
>It was like a jump-cut, she was in front of you.
>And you felt different, maybe even better.
>She looks up at you smugly.
>”How’s that for destiny.”
>And then she staggers back a step, and -
>Oh, no.
>Light, fizzling out now, losing its direct connection to you, but light.
>A lance of it, plunged through her ribcage just off to one side away from her heart.
>It goes out, cauterizing its wounds on the way, and her eyes go misty.
>She falls to the ground, and you grab her while she does, and then it’s over.
>She’s at least unconscious.
>You don’t understand what happened, but you can feel something different.
>The Stand she reported, just… inside you.
>It’s like having someone else’s teeth in your mouth.
>You ignore the discomfort and survey the area.
>Derpy and Silver haven’t been flatfooted in the time it took all this to happen to you.
>In fact, even Applejack has been hanging back, whether from wariness or pity you can’t tell.
>And behind her, the one with the purple hair, and Flash Sentry.
>He’s the only one who doesn’t look confrontational, although you aren’t going to underestimate him.
>Everyone’s frozen, unsure of who’s going to make the first move.
>You reach inside of yourself and try to get a handle on this Stand while you can.
>Yes, there’s... something.
>In the same vicinity as the lights, but less real, less rigidly-defined.
>You can feel the potential of something inside of you, growing.
>It’s objectively not very good, but it still exhilarates you.
>You feel like you could run for days, all the way to CHS, and stop Twilight with a good punch to the nose.
>Then the world falls down on you again, and you have to think carefully.
>Derpy’s come closer, and you turn to her.
>You don’t want to show weakness in front of the Rainbooms, but -
>You put out a hand for her.
>Halting, much more unsteady than it should be.
>She stands still, holding her breath, her eyes fixed on it.
>And then your fingers brush her shoulder, and you could cry.
>You can feel this thing eating away at you, and Diamond’s not moving, and you’re as good as surrounded, but you’ve done it.
>You earned a reprieve.
>Within a moment you’re back to Diamond - Silver’s standing over her.
>Everyone’s still frozen, and you realize one of the reasons belatedly.
>Silver’s holding a gun, standing with her feet confidently apart, and aiming for the encroaching people.
>She must have taken it from Anonymous or someone else - good thinking.
>Stooping, you pick up your fallen friend.
>She’s heavier than you were hoping, but you can manage.
>You suddenly feel very athletic.

>Be Silver, at the same time.
>You try to keep the shakes out of your muscles, to not think of - of -
>What happened a couple minutes ago.
>You’ll have to tell Care in a minute, but first -
>Retreat.
>The Crusaders are getting up further past Flash and the older girls, but you don’t think Care can see them.
>There isn’t a vehicle around here, and the nearest one you -
>Really don’t want to repair.
>This could go south fast.
>You’ve fired this gun once before, but you don’t know for sure how many times it’s been fired before you got your hands on it.
>In all the chaos you didn’t have a chance to check it - not that you know how to, exactly.
>But -
>You squint your eyes overhead for a moment, and then return your gaze to the Rainbooms.
>You start backing up one agonizing step at a time.
>Applejack’s watching you carefully, eyes steady, and you control your breathing.
>Care and Derpy and Diamond are still behind you, they haven’t left, don’t look backwards.
>Then something thumps against the ground behind all of you, attracting even the Rainbooms’ attention -
>There’s a scattering of feet behind you, and someone runs toward you.
>”Silver, come on!”
>Derpy shouts, and she grabs your hand.
>You get swept up with her, and you have to turn.
>Now you see what was shaking the ground - a huge shape that hurts your eyes.
>Some kind of twenty foot tall - transparent bear?
>｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ stands in front of it, looking up in some kind of fighting stance.
>The Rainbooms move behind you, and you pick up your feet, matching pace with Derpy instead of being pulled behind her.
>Care’s further ahead, carrying Diamond’s body, but you’re all heading for a dead end.
>The Rainbooms are standing between you and the way out of the yard.
>You might be able to break through, especially if you had a piece of your Stand, but they’re still on the ground, far away.

>Be Care.
>Further along you can see Fluttershy, peering out from behind one of the containers by the edge of the area.
>She ducks back into her hiding-place.
>You ignore her, and turn a hard right around the container you and Derpy had been hiding in, trying not to lose yourself in the feeling of running.
>Something pierces you in the back, suddenly and sharply.
>Your legs keep running underneath of you, and you realize that what just got punctured was your Stand and not you.
>｢Timbuk Three｣ would’ve blocked the attack automatically - you’re vulnerable.
>On the spur of the moment the Stand dissipates, but the damage doesn’t go away.
>Diamond feels heavier in your grip, now - you feel like you need to set her down, or at least adjust your grip.
>You carry on anyway, ignoring the waves of pain and adrenaline.
>Applejack’s Stand creates wood somehow, and it’s fast - it’s probably what hit you.
>Rarity’s a wild-card, but she needs to touch you, or at least it seems like she does.
>Fluttershy is going to keep her distance and throw larger problems at you.
>And Flash has to rely on a handful of tricks to stand his ground - you’ve never seen him contribute at all.
>So, reasonably, he should be the easiest target, and Applejack should be the most difficult.
>With ｢Timbuk Three｣ this reasoning would’ve been everything you needed to win, but now you’ve run the length of the container and you’re out of cover.
>Derpy’s still behind you - to the right, around the corner, the Crusaders!
>All of them look haggard, although your throw didn’t do much to stop them.
>｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ flowers into reality in the space between you.
>You don’t have time to swerve out of the way and escape its reach, it’s right on top of you!
>So you don’t try.
>You angle yourself closer to them, and let it rear back for an attack.
>And, with your Stand bolstering your arms, you lift Diamond up around your head.
>Their Stand hovers there, for a moment, between them and their classmate.
>None of them say anything - maybe none of them had a chance to notice her until now.
>But you keep moving - you’re in survival mode.
>”Touch their hands!”
>Silver shouts from behind you, but the impulse is already inside of you.
>You duck forward, trying to get under the Stand, and ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ sprouts out of you.
>It shouldn’t matter which one of the three!
>But ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ turns on the spot, ignoring you.
>All three of the girls seem to recognize the Stand, and they don’t flinch as they back away from it.
>You’re not great at dodging with it, and one massive fist collides on the back of the jumpsuit.
>The pain quakes through your body, but you’ve stopped moving for a moment and you can take a knee.
>And, better, it’s exactly what you were hoping for!
>The Stand goes flying right at the Crusaders, the body spreadagled.
>If you can grab an arm, you can force them to give you part of their Stand.
>That’s the only way forward!
>They all retract closer, trying to minimize the space of the impact.
>Further afield, Applejack’s walking over toward them.
>You can barely see her past the bulk of the Stand turning back toward you.
>That shouldn’t happen, it should be defending them.
>On instinct you bolt in the opposite direction to it.
>｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ has a long-enough range that you can still -
>You run directly into Derpy and Silver, and nearly crash into them, legs skidding on the ground.
>And behind you, ｢NFBD｣... fizzles out.
>Inches away from the Crusaders, it fails to reach them.
>You suddenly understand, and it kills you.
>You gave them the opportunity.
>They activated their Stand on yours, with that punch.
>You won’t be able to touch their hands, or probably hit them at all, for as long as it really matters.
>Derpy and you cast looks back at their Stand, and the three are already approaching.
>She doesn’t have anything left to break.
>And from here it’s basically an empty stretch until you get to real cover again.
>Not good.
>Behind you the ground shakes as the giant bear approaches, with one of the Rainbooms moving beside it.
>Silver wheels around and brings the gun up for it, firing in the same instant.
>And ka-bang!
>It shatters, and even though it’s most of the length of the container away, the shard are pointing for the group of you.
>Rarity cries out, but you’re not looking back any longer.
>You rush ahead for the only cover - Silver’s gun and Diamond’s wounds might stop them from trying to press the advantage.
>But as soon as you put the container between yourself and the shards, you’re inches away from ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣.
>The Crusaders watch you neutrally.
>And then, in a flash, their Stand rips -
>Diamond, out of your arms.
>It carries her away a few feet, out of your reach, and you’re about to push out ｢NFBD｣ again to stop it.
>But something else gets in the way first.
>Beyond the sounds of glass roaring in your ears, you hear Applejack’s voice calling something out.
>And then -
>The branches fill your vision as large, angry lines, splitting off of each other as quickly as possible.
>You need to do something, fast!
>By the time you can think to move, they’ve already got you pinned around the neck and shoulders, piercing their way into the metal of the container.
>More split off - these things don’t stop!
>But ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ came out as soon as you saw them.
>Before they can reach Derpy or Silver, they’ve already been pushed out of the way.
>...Only for ｢Steam Powered Giraffe｣ to block their path, hovering over them silently.
>The branches that were reaching for the two of them close in around ｢NFBD｣, piercing the skin a few more times.
>You cry out involuntarily, but it’s nothing compared to having your Stand overtaken by Twilight.
>But there’s nothing left you can do.
>Your mind hasn’t finished racing through possibilities, but the tables have turned pretty decisively.
>Part of the branch breaks, dropping to the ground, but only enough to let Applejack walk freely towards you.
>You watch her as she approaches, looking mightily pissed, and you don’t break eye contact.
>If you’d been less merciful, you wouldn’t be in this position.
”Whatever you do to me, leave them out of it.”
>You say.
>Her expression doesn’t change, but she stops a couple feet away from you.
>Just outside of arm’s length.
>”Keep out of the way, Crusaders.”
>She says, her eyes turning to her little sister.
>They step back obediently, not looking at you.
>Derpy and Silver still don’t have a path through yet.
>Applejack’s attention is turned away from you, and you lash an arm out.
>You’re grabbing for her hand, but she moves too fast noticing you, sidestepping it and giving you her full attention.
>”You’re not gonna go down without a fight, are you?”
>She says, and you don’t respond.
>The branches around you are too tough for you to just break through - it’s like trying to break a tree in half without a saw.
>”Twilight only wanted us to keep you here until she was finished, but I think you’re too dangerous for that. You’re like a mad dog who can’t figure when to stop and learn a lesson.”
>Her hat’s missing in the commotion, and her face looks dirty and battered.
>The quiet anger inside of her doesn’t go away with her words - in fact, she’s working herself up worse.
>”A lot of my friends are hurt now because of you. I don’t even want to know what state Rarity’s in now, and you’re lucky for that, because I’m not gonna check until we’re finished.”
>You don’t want to know either.
“You’re the powerhouse of your team, and you think you’re going to hurt me, or put in a coma, or break a few of my bones, and then things are going to go back to normal?”
>You sneer.
>You’ve had someone burning and tearing at your soul.
>You’ve had another version of yourself trying to kill you.
>You’ve had the love of your life knock you unconscious!
“You’re right about one thing. I don’t know when to stop, or when to let go. So this is your last chance to get out of the way, before you get mowed down, and everyone else will go down after you.”
>She scowls.
>”I can tell a bluff. The second you or any of your associates tries something funny, I can put a tree-branch straight through your heart.”
>You look at her levelly.
“Want to bet?”
>And then you open your hand, the one outstretched towards her.
>She looks at it like it’s a dead fish.
>And then, suddenly, she’s closer to you.
>She doesn’t move - but she’s next to you, and her own hand’s up in the air instead of at her side, and -
>Bang!
>In another flash it’s down and on yours.
>Her eyes are wide and she doesn’t understand, but it doesn’t matter.
>It doesn’t matter to her either - the branches come out of the fingertips of her other hand.
>You hope that she’ll get pushed back away, but it’s not enough.
>You can’t make it out of the prison in time, and they hit.
>Your teeth grit as you summon up the Stand in yourself, stopping them from piercing too deeply.
>A second later, she’s back with the Crusaders.
>She wheels around while you work on holding off the wood, looking every which way.
>If you survive all of this and die of an infection...
>And she finally sees Trixie, just a little too late.
>The two of them lock eyes, and she puts a hand out.
>Branches come out of it again, moving like lightning towards your ally and then curving upwards into the air.
>Applejack grits her teeth, and the branches - more than you’d find on any tree - fall to the ground.
>And then the whole tangled mess shifts, and it’s between Applejack and the Crusaders.
>She turns for a second to make sure that Apple Bloom is okay, and then Trixie’s on top of her.
>Trixie’s fist winds back, too telegraphed to hit.
>Applejack sees it coming from a mile away, and sends a spike of wood up to puncture her arm.
>It veers away.
>She backs a step away - and then she’s in the same spot she was in before.
>Trixie’s wild-eyed - agh!
>With one final push, you force her Stand free from your chest.
>You’re bleeding a little, and your shirt’s torn, but you don’t feel like you’re dying.
>And once you look up Applejack is lying down on the ground, utterly knocked out.

>Be Trixie.
>You arrived a few minutes ago, and things have naturally been looking up ever since.
>When Rainbow Dash launched you into the sky, it was an effort to wear out your own momentum.
>You didn’t want to be fired like a cannonball into some other town, completely unable to help your friends.
>You managed to keep your hat on long enough to slow yourself down.
>Then, of course, you were only hanging in mid-air a good skyscraper or two up.
>There may have been a modicum of screaming.
>Or a lot of screaming.
>Mostly you were dealing with the essential problem of your Stand.
>It would’ve been easy for you to put yourself on the ground - easier every second, in fact.
>But it wouldn’t be easy at all for you to survive the impact.
>You thought for a moment that it was impossible to slow down - that it really was the end of you.
>You thought forlornly of parachutes, wishing that you’d brought one with you.
>And then you realized, belatedly, you had.
>With a little concentration, you lifted your hat up off of your head, and made the inside gigantic.
>Air rushed up into it, almost enough to force it out of your hands.
>But you held on with a vicegrip, and from there freefall wasn’t a problem.
>Even if you’d lost it, you could’ve done the same with a shoe if you had to.
>Unfortunately your controlled descent wasn’t very controlled, and it took time for you to get down to earth again.
>From there, things became a little hectic.
>As soon as Applejack was down, you brushed the Crusaders away a good distance and took back Diamond Tiara.
>Care shouted to you not to hurt them, and you didn’t.
>And it became a simple matter of you finding people and him trapping them inside of branches.
>Well, easy for Flash Sentry and Fluttershy, which made up the rest of their forces.
>You could see their school-bus leaving on your way down - in fact, you had a pretty stellar view of all of Canterlot.
>But now you have to deal with the view on the ground.
>The Crusaders stand from the minimum distance, watching all of you.
>The orange one looks the most upset.
>They’ve been repeatedly crossing back over, and using their Stand to make it impossible for you to push them back over the same stretches of ground.
>Honestly, you’re getting a little worn out.
>But Care holds up a hand at the same you do.
>”Don’t stop them.”
>You don’t like the sound of that, but you stay your Stand.
>As they reach you, Derpy and Silver come back from what they were doing along the side of the container.
>You saw them picking - oh.
>They were getting Rarity’s body - she’s related to these three somehow.
>The lightest-skinned of the Crusaders sees her and freezes up.
>｢Steam-Powered Giraffe｣ appears above all three of them, a beast of a Stand.
>But Silver and Derpy set Rarity down again, gently.
>She doesn’t look too awful - there are a couple dozen small pieces of glass lodged in her, in wounds weeping blood, but she’s fine besides.
>The Crusaders approach like animals collecting food in dangerous territory, close together underneath the invincible umbrella of their Stand.
>Just seeing them like that makes you want to split them up, but Care motions at you quietly.
>You roll your eyes, and in a second Applejack’s unconscious form is next to Rarity’s.
>They look down at their sisters, wondering what sort of a trade this is supposed to be.
>Care speaks.
>”Silver should be able to get rid of the glass, and anything inside your sisters’ wounds. After that, you can take them to a hospital.”
>They look up at him, and say nothing.
>Still waiting for terms, maybe.
>”I’m sorry things had to work out this way, but please don’t fight me. I have to face Twilight, and it’s still going to happen whether we have to fight you or not.”
>The three girls alternate their eyes from him to the rest of you and back.
>Then, finally, they turn to each other, trading looks.
>The orange one steps back, and the one that looks like Rarity takes center.
>”We’ll keep out of your way if you can bring us Rainbow Dash in one piece.”
>Silver winces at that.
>”We can, but she’s not in good shape. I have to get ｢Tin Cup Chalice｣, but I’ll stay behind once Care doesn’t need me and help patch her up, too.”
>Care nods at that.
>”Alright. Let’s start.”
>And he walks off; that’s that.
>He really trusts them not to try to wake everyone up?!
>If you were planning this out, you’d have given them all smelling salts, or at least something that can make loud noises!
>But he just starts walking in the direction of the containers, and a single trashed-looking car.
>Derpy and Silver join him - they’re even leaving Diamond’s body behind with the Crusaders.
>He’s too trusting, but you don’t want to start a fight in front of them.
>And, frankly, you’re a little tired.
>A few hops with ｢Abracadabra｣ and you bridge the empty space.
>First to the pulverized remains of what you’re very glad isn’t Care’s car.
>Then a little further - goodness are you tired - through to something much less pleasant.
>Some of the containers have been rearranged here.
>And -- oh, no, no, no.
>When you gave Sunset a chance to call her friends over, you made sure to tamper with the call first.
>Your own forces listened in, ready to show up just after them, once they’d assembled together.
>It was your trump card, kept in your back pocket so that no one else could plan around it.
>But Mystery Mint’s mother’s car is here, the hood poking out just slightly.
>The rest of it’s crushed by two shipping containers, forming a slightly-askew T.
>You rush over, looking for signs of life.
>After a moment you see a body - Rainbow Dash’s, slumped at the edge of the container that crushed the car.
>A moment of hesitation, and then ｢Abracadabra｣ whisks her away.
>You create space between the two giant metal boxes, but the car doesn’t reinflate.
>It turns a little, and falls to one side, and leaks.
>You turn to one side and vomit.
>The others have caught up to you by now, and they’re saying things you can’t hear.
>Further down - yes, a body!
>More than that, someone sitting, holding their knees - conscious!
>Someone was thrown free, on the far side of what happened.
>You race over to them - and yes, you recognize them!
”Mystery!”
>You say, hoping to startle her.
>Her red eyes fix on you, and suddenly she’s up and coming at you, looking murderous.
>You’re too shocked to respond as she tackles you.
>”WHY DID YOU SEND US INTO THIS?!”
>Her eyes are bloodshot.
>You realize what must have happened.
>She wasn’t thrown free out of the car, her ｢Snakadaktal｣ just saved her from being crushed.
>No one else had a chance to react in time.
“I… I’m sorry!”
>You stare up at her, and her eyebrows knit together.
>She slaps you, hard.
>And then shouts over the ringing in your ears.
>”YOU SLAUGHTERED US! YOU MURDERED ALL OF US!”
>Suddenly she’s being pulled off of you.
>Care and Derpy both have an arm, and she doesn’t struggle.
>She just stares at you, hatefully.
>No sooner has she been pulled off then she’s sinking into the ground like it doesn’t exist.
>And that’s the last you see of Mystery Mint.

>Be Silver, a few minutes later.
>Everything’s been prepared, and everyone’s tried to put that aftermath out of their minds.
>You’d been trying to knock Rainbow out, but she got desperate.
>Maybe from blood loss, maybe because she couldn’t stand losing...
>It was only Diamond showing up that made it possible for you to pick off her and the Shadowbolt.
>Neither of them had much fight left after what had happened.
>You remember when fighting had something exciting to it.
>Danger around every corner, sneaking into buildings or making fast escapes.
>Now it’s just methodical.
>You found one of your tiles, and with a little effort you snapped it in half.
>Then you removed the bullet from Rainbow, and fixed up Care’s car a little.
>While it was being destroyed, Care made you pause.
>Then he grew a long stick out of his palm and touched it to the crumpling engine, where it caught fire.
>And he handed it to you.
>”If you can turn off the alarm circuits in the school, setting a fire could distract them for a while.”
>You looked at it, and nodded.
>The electrical systems were in the ceiling and the walls, buried a little deep - but you knew every inch of them.
>Then you fixed his car, and reloaded the pistol with your one bullet - it turned out to be the last.
>And you hand it over to him.
>He takes it wordlessly, only nodding at you, and climbs into the driver’s seat.
>Derpy waves goodbye, and takes passenger.
>You would have to deal with the Crusaders, and getting people to safety, but the fighting was over.
>Your part in this had been played out, and you hope that maybe it’s been good enough to make a difference.
>Trixie throws out both hands and concentrates.
>”｢ABRACADABRA｣!”
>She shouts, and the car’s suddenly eighty feet in the air.
>Care took a moment to touch Rainbow’s hand earlier, and he swaps some part of his body with her.
>｢Simple Plan｣ activates, and the car goes off like a shot, hurtling through the sky in the direction of the school.
>You know he’ll make it.

>Be Care, in the present.
>This is the school basement alright.
>Underlit, walls painted black, with a bunch of haphazard chairs and prop cabinets.
>The real basement is through the door on the other side of the room, and you can feel the power from here.
>It resonates in you, the same kind of feeling you’d get when you used ｢Timbuk Three｣.
>A brief kind of rush, more than just the power.
>You guess that’s how powerful magic feels - almost pleasant, like basking in sunlight.
>In the course of thinking all of this you’re halfway to the door.
>｢Lemon Demon｣’s at your feet, ensuring you’ll make it there before Twilight can even if she has some secret up her sleeve.
>And then, whether it’s the result of the taser or the fire upstairs, the lights start to flicker.
>Twilight used you to make the last portal, in part, and you think you might be able to disrupt this one.
>If it were impossible to stop once it was in motion, she wouldn’t -
>Grk!
>You can feel her dig into against this time, and your body freezes.
>Her footsteps slosh behind you - have to change the -
>You try to switch out your skin again, but she’s pointing at the same area now.
>You switched back without noticing, and you can’t - rrgh!
>With a burst of energy you spin around, ready to counter with -
>She closes the distance in a single desperate jump and tackles you to the ground.
>She has the high ground against you, and she’s invulnerable - and the arrow’s pointed toward your neck.
>She brings it downwards with both hands, and you grab onto her wrists, forcing it up.
>It’s like pushing against a statue.
>And already you can feel yourself losing control of your ability.
>It’s not even yours to begin with - and with thinking like that, the Stand appears beside both of you and stands passively.
>No pulling her off from behind, then.
>The whole time she’s talking to you, her voice only slightly strained.
>”You don’t understand what you’re doing! This is one of thousands of timelines, maybe more! And in all of the other ones Derpy dies! You kill her! Why won’t you let me try to do better than that?!”
>Your arms glow yellow-green, and you force her back upwards - but the power’s slippery.
“She only died in them because you thought the ends justified the means! Just like - just like me! Your big plan was just to change who died!”
>She grits her teeth as you start to force her up, and irritating pain lances down your arms.
>”I had to do something differently! I didn’t know what would happen, but if there was any way to save my home without hurting anyone I had to try it!”
>You push again, and you can almost get your legs under yourself.
>Her knee drives into your calf, but you don’t show any signs of pain.
”Is that your excuse? That you’re just watching from the sidelines? If you stepped in personally and stopped the wrong people from having Stands, no one would have to get hurt! There wouldn’t be a fight!”
>She pushes in deeper, but now your leg’s glowing yellow-green too.
>You push back, and after a little pressure both of you are on your sides, still wrestling over the arrow on the soaking cold floor.
>You feel its influence over you fade.
>”I needed a way to keep the Dazzlings busy! Magic might not exist in Equestria without me, there are millions of ponies that need me to keep their lives in balance! I couldn’t live with myself if I put that in jeopardy.”
>Her voice turns quieter, and she stops struggling.
>You break off from her and push off the ground as fast as you can, but she doesn’t pursue you.
>”I’m sorry, Care.”
>She says, as she gets up.
>And as much as you don’t enjoy admitting it, she sounds genuine.
>”There’s so much that I want to do better. But the first step is proving that this works at all. I need to open the portal to do that, so that everyone can learn from this.”
>She’s not blocking you.
>You will ｢Lemon Demon｣ to cover your legs again, but -
>It doesn’t.
>Her voice is calm, and she doesn’t approach you.
>”I… retired ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣. Indigo Zap deserves to rest in peace. And I know ｢Timbuk Three｣ won’t let you be a threat to me any more.”
>You stand there and let her words sink in.
>Reaching into yourself.
>It’s there.
>The same line of lights.
>Barely plural at this point.
>The end of the road, a couple of crucial days early.
>You’re frozen, for a moment, but she doesn’t make any move to hurt you.
>”I can’t tell you the future, but I can do my best to give Derpy and her family a good life here, and to find a way to play it all out so that you and her can be happy. If there’s anything else you want...”
>She gives you an uneasy smile.
>You realize you still have some energy left.
“You’re trying to negotiate with me not to break your portal.”
>Her eyes are sad for a moment.
>”I can stop you if I have to. But it’s because of you, and everything that you did, that i found the method that might change everything. I really don’t want it to end this way between us.”
>So it’s...
>A guilty conscience.
>Your mind races, there must be something...
>Keep her talking.
”So you’re just trying to make yourself feel better.”
>She doesn’t meet your eyes.
>”No, I… I want you to be happy, Care. Before this you didn’t have any friends, and… I know what that can do to someone, no matter what world they live in.”
“Then why didn’t you pick someone who wouldn’t matter for your experiment, who no one would--?”
>The realization hits you.
“Oh. I was disposable.”
>”No, Care-”
“You thought if everything went wrong somehow and you ruined my life or killed me, it wouldn’t matter as much. That’s why you tried it on me and not anyone who was already working for you!”
>”It wouldn’t work on them! And I don’t want anyone to get hurt! If I’d saved it to give to you later then we wouldn’t have needed it, but I had to know if it was even a possibility.”
>All of this...
>All of this bullshit about other timelines, doing what’s best for the greater good...
>It’s turned you and Derpy and Silver and Golden and Trixie and Diamond and everyone else into stepping stones.
>This was all just some bloody test-run, a first draft.
“You erased Scootaloo’s memories so she wouldn’t help me. You sent dangerous people after the girl I love, just to keep me busy. You kept me in the dark, and moved me around like a pawn, and now you want me to accept some kind of apology for it?”
>Your voice lowers and raises without your making it.
>You hold back tears, and she looks more and more desperate.
>”But this is better than what could’ve been! And I can make it better the next time! Maybe these are all the mistakes anyone has to make for this to be a solved problem, and you and Derpy can live together happily millions of times over! Isn’t that… isn’t that something?”
>Her words strike at your heart.
>It’s… something.
>If you knew that your sacrifice would make Derpy happy in a million worlds, wouldn’t you take it?
>It floats in your mind against your will, snagging its way into your mind.
>There’s… yes, there’s solace in it.
>You might be able to be content with that, if it were really your choice.
>You shake your head like you’re trying to get to the surface and breathe.
>No
>Twilight, everything she’s done...
>You can’t just let that end this way!
>Golden doesn’t deserve that, none of the people she snapped up in this do.
>You know you’re doomed, but you can’t let this happen!
“You’re trying to stop me from destroying your portal! I can still ruin everything for you if I do that, and then -”
>And then everything she just promised would be off the table.
>You falter, and her voice stays calm, surefooted.
“I want you to be able to spend a little time with her. Whatever you can do I can change back in a couple of days, and I’ve… I’ve taken a lot away from both of you. I didn’t want to think about how I was doing it, or what the cost was, but... now I want you to at least be at peace with it.”
>You get the distinct feeling she’s not trying to convince you of anything.
>She doesn’t make any hasty motions, and no traps spring up.
>Although you can feel the pressure of the portal at your back - you know it’s stronger than the last one.
>These were her stakes, and this is her endgame.
>Just like the factory, just like fighting against Fido or saving Silver or racing against Mr. Rich, you’ve been playing by her rules.
>And now, at the end, it’s not even for your own good to fight back.

>Be Derpy, not very long ago.
>You’re soaring through the air, trying not to think of your sister.
>You really hope that she’s going to be okay there by herself.
>But you’re the one in greater danger.
>”I don’t want you to interfere unless you get a perfect opening.”
>Care says, and he hands you a gem-detector he salvaged from one of the Shadowbolts.
>It was the lemon-lime-haired one, and he made sure to touch hands with her, and Silver, and you, and Trixie.
>The last one was a bit of a stretch for him - he couldn’t concentrate on having so many different parts of himself swapped out, so he had to be more choosy.
“If you can hold them off until sunset, I’ll take one of the gems with ｢Spinal Tap｣ and get out.”
>You have no idea where you’re actually go, but that’s what you’ll think about while you wait.
>That and not the danger he’s going to be in.
>”Just as long as you don’t come running in to rescue me. If the reader changes, that means they’ve completed a portal, or something else has happened, and that should be your chance.”
>You dwell on that.
“You don’t have a plan, do you?”
>He’s acting too tough for that.
>After a moment, he lets out a sigh.
>”No, I don’t. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It doesn’t seem like the gems can even be destroyed, or Twilight can be hurt. I’m fighting someone who can’t lose.”
>Hearing him talk like that hurts you.
“She hasn’t won yet. If nothing you did made a difference, then this would’ve been over weeks ago.”
>He smiles, a little, but keeps his eyes peeled for the right moment.
>The two of you are starting to fall to earth, not anywhere near the school.
>Rainbow Dash’s Stand alone offered you a great boost, but it wasn’t enough.
”And if she set everything up so she can’t lose, maybe you just need to change how you think about it.”
>You hope that’s good advice.
>It feels like something Golden would want you to say, right about now.
>Guiltily, your mind turns to explaining all of this to your family when it’s over.
>One bridge at a time.
>Care doesn’t answer you, but he decides it’s the right moment.
>He lifts up Anonymous’ pistol and fires through the windshield.
>From that point of damage, you focus, and ｢Spinal Tap｣ appears.
>A little readjusting, and it lifts the car up from the bottom.
>CHS is less than two minutes away, you’ll make it.
>From there... you don’t know.

>Be Princess Twilight.
>The sprinklers have run out of water.
>There’s not been another disturbance, at least as far as you can tell.
>Care’s deep in thought, wrestling in his heart.
>It hurts you to look at what you’ve done.
>Honestly, you were hoping to turn tail and run, and… and avoid him.
>Equestria was so warm and inviting, and you’ve been doing this for too long.
>You didn’t want to be cruel to him, honestly you didn’t, if he’d just, just...
>If something had been different, something you can set right, if you hadn’t been forced to change everything at the factory and allow the confrontations with Sunset and the Shadowbolts, there must be a way to thread that needle.
>And standing here, at the end of this chapter, you need to give him a reason for hope.
>You need to create a moment of harmony here, because what comes next isn’t going to be pretty.
>You were again hoping that you could get this done by someone else, someone far away from Sunset.
>If the Rainbooms had done it for you, just on accident, trying too hard to contain him...
>To get that message out to the timelines which will come after, you need a way for ｢Boulevard of Broken Dreams｣ to summon someone who knows about it.
>There has to be a final sacrifice to make it work out, and...
>And the cards aren’t in his favor.
>Your body’s tense, and you know you’re in complete control, and it hurts.
>Is this how Celestia felt before she banished her sister?
>He speaks, and you think you hear a kind of fear in his voice.
>”...You can’t take it away, can you?”
>It takes your mind to get back into conversation mode.
>For all this time you haven’t been very Honest.
>You were cut off from magic, and you got cut off from something more important.
>At...
>At the very least, you’re Loyal.
>You leaned on Sunset, and she leaned on you, and you didn’t put your friends in danger if you didn’t absolutely have to.
“No. I’m… sorry. Magic that affects destiny is complicated, and mine can’t break past what it’s built up. Even trying might be bad for - well, everyone.”
>It was only brute force and luck that gave ｢Midnight Special｣ the right seed to plant and the right vessel to carry it.
>He sighs, and looks resigned.
>You don’t want it to end this way.
>You know that Derpy must have followed him here, she wouldn’t leave him to come here on his own.
>Unless he used up all his power to transfer ｢Nails for Breakfast Demo｣ and transport himself here.
>You can imagine him doing that, if he thought it was the only way to stop you.
>But if she’s here, you want him to be able to say goodbye.
>Nothing about this feels right, and you know you’ve failed in an important way.
>But what’s important is the next step forward.
>Almost perfectly on cue, Care returns his attention to you.
>”How do I know that you’ll do what you say? That you’ll really save and protect her?”
>He sounds almost hopeful.
“I promise I will. Once a painless solution shows up to the problem, there won’t be any need for people to be hurt any more. We can even focus on making the best of it and improving everyone’s lives.”
>You try not to sound overzealous about this, but it really creates a hope inside of you.
>The same hope you felt the last time you were stranded away from home, trying to set time and space right.
>That in the end there really is a way to make everything worthwhile.
>You have to hope, and it’s selfish, but you want that hope to spread to him.
>You need him to believe you, before it’s all said and done.
>He’s watching you now, carefully.
>Judging whether or not to go off like a bomb.
>If he did, it truly might make things harder for you.
>You don’t think it would stop you from accomplishing your goals, but it wouldn’t be ideal.
>This is the last real decision left before you can cross through and start setting things right.
>If you can create the minimum amount of suffering, then that’s good in and of itself.
>But there’s still a gap to close, you can feel it.
>”But… why should I believe you? You’ve done nothing but lie up to now, all for yourself, so you could be on the winning side. If you really just wanted to make things better, why wouldn’t you tell everyone?”
>He has a point.
“The Dazzlings could’ve interrogated anyone I sent out just by approaching them, and there were others like Trixie, who… I didn’t want to get hurt.”
>”But what does it matter? Can’t you make a better plan with everyone on-board?”
>You hesitate again.
>Oh, out with it, he deserves to know, you’re not still in school worrying about headmares judging you.
“Because I wanted to save Sunset from knowing all the times that she’s had to die to open this portal. I wanted to find a way to protect her, because she’s my friend, and, and I…”
>You can’t finish it, but he hears you.
>”You’re the one who told the Crusaders that she was going to die.”
>That sentence puzzles you - but he had some time to discuss things with Scootaloo, and you did tell her.
>You roll with it.
“I did. And making sure she’s safe is… it’s like making sure that Derpy’s safe for you. I want to get the ball rolling for both of our sakes.”
>He looks at you, past you.
>For a moment you think he’s signalling some kind of ambush, but you don’t turn around.
>You need him to trust you, and that means trusting him.
“I spent time with Derpy. She’s a wonderful person, and I... I think maybe you should think about what she’d want for the both of you, if she was the one who had to decide.”
>You push the idea across gently, but it sours halfway through.
>He turns a little more neutral, but...
>”I don’t think that what you’ve done is okay, but… if that’s the future you’re trying to make with it, then I think I could be happy with helping to make it happen.”
>Yes!
>Yes, yes - yes!
>You try not to let any of your enthusiasm show on your face.
>It’s a momentary reprieve from what’s going to have to happen, but if he can be happy with that, there’s a burden lifted from your shoulders.
>”I’m sorry.”
>He says - about what?
>Not being able to forgive you?
>Well.
>You can’t expect him to, not really.
“It’s okay.”
>You say, to be reassuring.
>And then there’s a very loud noise from the next room over, like-
>｢Timbuk Three｣?
>The realization hits you - raw magic, the portal!
>Something’s gone wrong!
>You look over to Care, who hasn’t moved, and he smiles sadly.
>Your arrow scans over the portal, and the people around it -
>There’s too much energy to read - definitely ｢Timbuk Three｣.
>He’s only got enough to keep this up for a minute at most, some grand final statement.
”It doesn’t matter what you do to the portal, your energy will only get absorbed.”
>He says nothing.
>You know he can’t stop it once he’s started, but you can.
>You reach out the arrow to him, trying to twist against that complicated--
>A stark awareness washes over you.
>It’s... not actually coming from him.
>You try to catch up to that reality, thoughts flashing through your mind -
>Did someone manage to replicate - no.
>You don’t have time, if there’s any chance that something’s going beyond your contingencies you have to stop it.
>You rush for the door, expecting Care to make a sudden move to stop you, or at least to follow.
>He stays where he is, watching you passively, and you throw the door open.
>On the other side, you can feel that the energy’s wrong - it’s supercharged, moving too quickly, too powerfully.
>You can see the light coursing through it, veins of blue and orange and red traveling through it like cracks in pavement - and then you realize why you can see it so well.
>Both of your other selves are gone.
>The room’s empty and - no, those aren’t cracks of orange, a shape - a hand!
>You rush forward, feeling sick to your stomach and battered by the raw magic in the air.
>If you just had some time and some peace and quiet to shape it, you could do so much...
>You grab onto her hand with both of yours and pull like you want to wrench it from her socket.
>For all your invulnerability, you only inch her forward, against the pull of whatever it is between these universes.
>Her fingers come out of the portal, and then you slowly draw her arm.
>Behind the wildly flickering lightshow, you can see the outline of her face.
>She looks lost, confused - like someone just barely being rescued from drowning.
>He managed to complete the portal, stabilize it and cast them all across to Equestria, and all on a nearly impossibly low level of energy - but why?
>Maybe he thinks you’ll be vulnerable in a moment of weakness - you turn your head as best as you can, but you don’t see him.
>He could hide himself, but not at this rate.
>Whatever he’s doing, he shouldn’t have any energy leftover - even this must have involved some kind of trick.
>The portal starts to decohere, and you can feel it.
>Sunset mouths words at you through it, imploring.
>You can’t read them, but you know.
>It’s breaking down, and the only chance is to go through yourself.
>Even if you don’t wind up on the other side of the mirror in Equestria, at least you can face whatever happens together.
>You feel like you’re about to jump off of a cliff, but you’re a princess - you’ve done that and then soared off into the distance.
>With a single sharp breath, you rush forward and let her pull you in.
>And you run into something, a shortly-placed wall.
>It’s a humming screen of blue light, and then it’s gone as soon as you can get a lock on it.
>You try again, more conscious, and another appears - contoured especially to keep your body from reaching the inside of the portal.
>He can’t be doing this.
>You ignore the parts of your mind that want to pace and find an answer, and try to let Sunset pull you in.
>When the next wall appears you’re ready - ｢Midnight Special｣ appears between you and the portal, oriented off to one angle.
>It should disrupt the wall automatically, and give Care a bad shock for good measure, but it doesn’t do anything.
>You panic, resummon it, but now there’s another surge of light and energy.
>The arrow’s becoming - part of the portal!
>The energy’s moving it past a tipping-point - the whole thing’s going to shred itself to pieces!
“Sunset! Pull me through!”
>You shout, even though she’s trying her best and can’t hear you to begin with.
>You try to help her, forcing yourself against it.
>If there was any point in this universe where this problem was overcomable, let it be here!
>And it does move - but only because Sunset’s being pulled further in!
>You can’t make it past that crucial few centimeters.
>The partition exists exactly along the portal, only to stop you.
>And as Sunset’s pulled away from you, it starts to press against your fingers.
>Magic licks at the barrier, wanting to consume it.
>And then, finally! - it falls in!
>Your fingers enter the magic of the portal!
>They intermingle with hers for a moment, and you push further inside, closing your eyes and letting it wash over you.
>And then you step forward, into... the basement.
>Your body doesn’t change, and the magic doesn’t fill back the part of yourself you feel missing.
>It’s… gone.
>The last remnants of the portal swirl around in the air like Pinkie’s party favors, and then even those wisps disappear.
>You stare at them for a moment as the nature of your reality sinks in.
>”I meant what I said.”
>Care’s voice.
>He’s in the room next to you, standing by the entrance.
>You summon up the arrow and point it at him.
>But it’s suddenly difficult.
>The portal absorbed most of your magic, too!
>You don’t let it affect you - you just need to pierce him with it to force there to be a new power-source.
>It might be next to impossible to control, but it could solve the problem!
>As the arrow jerks into existence in your hand, you wheel around to him and try to close the distance as fast as possible.
>But you can tell from here that there’s nothing left in him.
>From what you could read of him before, from when you implanted the Stand up to now, it should’ve been more dramatic than that.
>But his row of lights is completely empty.
>And then a flash of light impacts your arrow, and it fizzles out of existence itself.
>With that gone, and - the gems!
>They’re missing, too!
>Care sees your expression as you start to look around.
>”If things could’ve been another way, I would change them.”
>You look back up at him, and you finally realize by your voice that you’re crying.
”Then why didn’t you?!”
>Everything that you worked for, the lives you spent.
>And you’re never going to see her again.
>Never, you could live until the end of this universe and not find another portal!
>And meanwhile, she’ll be trapped there, on your side, without anyone to help her!
>Without anyone to speak to Celestia about her, to bring them together again!
>The Elements of Harmony are incomplete, the ponies in your care are unprotected, the entire world could’ve ended when you had your back turned and - and you just sent Sunset into it alone!
>It’s unthinkable!
>His voice is calm.
>”You convinced me that it was better for Equestria to be saved, and for Derpy to be happy. I didn’t want you to succeed, but I knew that if it happened I could remember it as something good I’d helped make happen.”
>The meaning of the words registers.
“You - used your Stand to stop it from happening.”
>He looks away.
>”It used both of us. But I didn’t want to hurt you. Maybe now you can find a way to make it all work out, but if you do it’ll have to be something I never know about.”
>Is - is that it?
>Sunset gone, and all you have is some faint hope that it won’t be snatched away from you a second time?!
>You fly at Care, ready to at least hurt him, to - to - you don’t know what!
>And he doesn’t move, but you don’t make it.
>A screen of blue light stops you, and you’re on the ground.
>”If you really hurt me, or anyone I cared about, this would become a happy memory. Like I told you, your best chance is for us to stay far away from each other.”
>He says that, and then there’s a great stillness in the air.
>You’re ruined.
>All the people who had to get hurt, all for a half-answer.
>All for less than nothing.
>You lay on the ground for a moment, and feel small.
>Care turns away, and walks out the door.

>Be Derpy
>The reading changes.
>And the fire’s died down in the hallways.
>You race ahead - a map appears, courtesy of ｢Timbuk Three｣, and then flashes out of existence again.
>So they were in the basement!
>Not your first choice, but if that’s happened then it’s finished with.
>He’s alive.
>Outside, the sky’s darkening.
>You rush down the way, first one hallway and then another.
>Whatever happened, he doesn’t have Indigo Zap’s Stand any more.
>You were hoping it wouldn’t be that way, that you’d have at least two more days to work with.
>At least he’s alive.
>You repeat that to yourself as you turn the last corner.
>And there he is.
>Hair messed up, clothes dirty and slightly torn, but exactly where he should be.
>He’s cradling a light to his chest, and he looks up at you.
>You force your eyes off of it and up to meet his.
”Is that…?”
>”Yeah.”
>His voice sounds dried out, deathly tired.
>You’re holding your breath now.
>The last light glows quietly in his arms.
>”I’m.”
>He takes a deep breath.
>”I’m sorry, Derpy.”
“Did Twilight make it through?”
>Your voice sounds like someone else’s now.
>Like you’re falling out of yourself, away from everything.
>”No, she’s… not going to be a threat any longer. And whoever she had with her is gone.”
“Good.”
>”Yeah. Which… leaves us.”
>You feel like he’s standing too far away from you.
>The two of you should be closer when you talk.
”If she’s gone, that means there’s no time-pressure. We can keep looking for ways to help you!”
>You try to make your voice sound cheery, to rouse him.
>But he just looks down at the orb.
”It should only take a couple of weeks, now that we can focus on the problem properly! If Indigo’s Stand could do that, maybe one of the others can-”
>”We both knew we could wind up here.”
>His words sink a dagger into your heart.
>”I really want you to have a good life, Derpy. France is… big enough, for that. You can leave this behind.”
>You’re speechless.
“C-Care, I’m… I’m not doing that. We have all the time in the world now, we can make a better future!”
>”Derpy, please.”
>The please is strained, and you can finally see the same pain reflected in him.
“I can’t give up on that! We’ve always found a way, and this isn’t going to stop us!”
>Care’s stubborn.
>No amount of words can stop him once he makes his mind up on something.
>But it won’t matter, if you just time it right.
>”I know you can go on without me. You’re strong enough to make whatever you want out of your life.”
>You start stepping closer.
“You know I need you just like you need me. We… we can’t be away from each other.”
>Bridge the distance, bridge the distance.
>”Don’t come any closer.”
“Remember what you promised me.”
>”I mean it. Don’t come any closer to me. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”
>You stop inching towards him.
>You’re too far away, still.
>Even if you broke into a run you wouldn’t have time.
>And then you realize.
”This is the same hallway where you met me.”
>He glances at it for a moment, concentrating.
>”I guess it is.”
>Happier times.
>Silence.
“We don’t have to do this.”
>You feel like you’re talking him off of a ledge.
>There has to be a way to convince him, some combination of words...
>If you’d been researching it better, if you could think of every combination of every Stand...
>”We do. This can’t be a happy memory for me, and I don’t have a choice.”
“Enough bad things have happened today. We don’t need another one.”
>”I know. I’m sorry.”
>He says.
>And that’s when you seize your chance.
“Care, I love you.”
>He looks up to meet your eyes, and at the same time you’ve made your choice.
>The sun sets outside, and ｢Spinal Tap｣’s smaller form flows out of the floor.
>It snakes in the air for the light, under his nose.
>He doesn’t look down, but the light bursts, brilliantly.
>The whole hallway fills with its brilliance, and you feel it wash over you as the two of you become the only things visible in the school.
>You feel something tugging at you like a set of giant anchors, or magnets -
>Long loops of light pull at you like a crook pulling someone off of a stage.
>No.
>No, there -
>He -
“You promised!”
>You shout at him, and the words bring bitter tears to you.
>And as the light starts to carry you away and out of his life, past the rush of wind and energy, you think you hear his voice.
>”I love you too.”

>Be Care
>Welcome to the rest of your life.
>It doesn’t feel horribly different immediately.
>You gave ｢Timbuk Three｣ long enough to carry Derpy away without hurting her, and for her to leave.
>If you rushed outside prematurely, things could only have gotten worse.
>Your presence has become a weapon, now - you can appreciate that.
>It’s just a weapon that always misfires, or a sword that always cuts you in the same stroke.
>But it hasn’t killed you yet.
>You step out into the evening air, and it doesn’t burn you.
>The stars don’t blink out overhead.
>And, after a little fiddling, your car starts, and gets on the road.
>No, it hasn’t killed you, not anywhere close.
>Give it time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLhYghzNfII

｢To Be Concluded｣