CoCoBA Episode 5: Evacuate the Dancefloor

Princess Twilight Sparkle was laying in her favorite bed on the night Sombra attacked.

The castle came with a decadent assortment of bedchambers, and her alicorn physiology had only worsened her natural jitteriness, so that she routinely wandered the halls at night taking bleary turns with them. For Spike, this was a hidden blessing; he quickly learned he only needed to remake certain beds at strategic times, and even when her weekly circuit veered and she drifted into some forgotten unblanketed wreck, she wasn’t usually aware.

By now, he’d remade all of them, dusted, finished some of her leftover booksorting, cleaned the bathrooms, washed the stained glass windows and tried, twice, to activate the Map. At no point did he move her from her stockstill, curled position, or even approach within a few hooves to examine her closely, for fear that the half-imagined motions of her breathing might collapse like cobwebs under a puff of foreign air.

It was the least of the beds, a meager zero-poster without any tricky corners to tuck into the mattress. Just a headboard and an end, wooden and curve-flourishing, afforded begrudgingly to prevent it from being a mattress on the floor. In another age, maybe one to come, it would’ve suited a staff cook. And in the dim light, from outside the door, Spike could almost see the wooden walls that weren’t there, and the balcony that looked out onto the town, and the spiral stairs he’d pattered down every morning in the name of breakfast...

Besides her room, he avoided the libraries more and more now. Filled with ponies, concerns and lives, they faded into the background, but standing in their doorways alone, he felt completely separated from the earth below the stone and the stars above the ceiling. He felt like he might step in just slightly too far, and exit to find himself in the Human World again, the world where everything was so disturbingly close to truth but mangled, where nothing had the right amount of limbs and the world was defined by pushing and grabbing and taking.

He never came within eyesight of them once the sun went down.

He couldn’t risk leaving the castle halls, or giving some opening for normal messages, but he’d instructed a few townsponies on a simple message-spell. If they needed something urgent, he would belch up their request. The outside world had contacted him earlier that evening, and this was how he learned that his town was on fire.

So, as the first wave of the battered and bewildered neared the doors, he waved his claws around the inner mechanisms and loosened their protections. There was little food in the castle, and few comforts, but they couldn’t want for space or protection.

When the doors swung and let in the night air, Spike could see the smoke clouding in the distance, and ushered the Standless foals and their parents inside.

Instinctively, from years of experience, he knew that it was going to be a long night.

***

“Why are you setting fire to everything?! Are you working for Sombra?!”

The voice was shrill, the kind that wasn’t supposed to be loud. Berryshine’s ears were muffled, but it rang clearly even through the hood. She was aware that her hooves were tied only because they wouldn’t budge from each other.

She was beginning to consider Stands more trouble than they were worth.

Her assailant did something. The fabric around her mouth disappeared, and night air blew over her face. It was a moment of peace, and enough to concoct a plan. When it passed, she immediately started crying and struggling.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I was just caught in the middle of these fires! Why are you trying to abduct me!?”

Her enemy spoke back, “I know you’re the one responsible for all of this. Don’t pretend that you’re innocent! Now tell me why you’ve been sent here!”

“I really don’t know what you’re saying! I’ve lived in Ponyville my whole life! My house is burning! Please just let me go!”

“Stop playing games!” The voice moved closer, and become sterner. Berryshine smirked.

“Fine. ｢Simply Red｣!”

Her Stand appeared, and lashed out at the source of the noise. A punch landed, and then the enemy jumped back. The fabric held, but with a little effort her Stand tore it apart like packing tape.

She stood and tore off her blindfold. On the other side of the road, or path, or whatever it was, there stood a cream-colored pony, plain and without the trimmings just like her, no magic and no wings to fly away with.

“I didn’t want to be violent about this!” Berryshine yelled. The fires were burning healthily all around, slowly converging into a single inferno, and she knew the town was over except for the crying.

“What’s Sombra offering you?”

“Nothing but the chance to sculpt a new paradise with my own hands!”

The enemy looked confused at that.

Berryshine charged.

***

Scootaloo was unmired from a dreamless sleep by a hoof ruffling her mane. Woken up any other way, she would’ve summoned ｢Go Zone｣ and struck the attacker, subconsciously terrified that it might be the foalnapper who wanted Cheerilee. But the motion was so familiar, so much like what Dash had done in those few fleeting moments of big-sisterly affection, it soothed those instincts.

Finally, Sweetie got tired of trying to noogie her friend awake and started pressing agianst her skull like a jambed door. Scootaloo groaned with foreign pain, rolled over and opened her eyes.

Sweetie was a silhouette against the stars and the now-encroaching firelight. Her face was unreadable in the dark, but Scootaloo knew it was a compromise between sympathy and seriousness. It was the only expression she’d been able to make, lately. Scootaloo’s head started pounding, and she turned weakly to cover most of the light with her friend’s face, wondering idly if she’d slept all the way until the next night in a tiny coma.

“You too, huh?” Sweetie asked.

Scootaloo tried to answer, but her mouth was too dry. After a moment of coughing, which made her brain rattle even more, she replied, “How’d the fight with Diamond go?”

“Good. I’ll tell you about it later, but Diamond’s with us for right now. Everypony’s evacuating to Twilight’s castle.”

Even behind the grimace of the hangover, Scootaloo felt like she’d slept through a final exam. The castle had been their first and last failsafe, and she hadn’t done enough to keep them out of it.

Sweetie was scanning the area now, trying to keep the pegasus in her shadow. “Where’s the mare who brought you inside?”

“Coco...” Scootaloo’s eyes opened and she shot up to her hooves. “She went to fight the pony who’s burning everything!” Her eyes darted around for her scooter and found it, bent from the crash and discarded on the grass.

Before she could dive for it, Sweetie put a hoof on her shoulder.

“If she’s not at the castle yet, somepony will find her, so there’s no point worrying. For now, we need to make sure that the Elements get inside safely, and I need you for that.” Her voice was soft and reasonable, and Scootaloo hung her head.

“Yeah, you’re right. Are the others already there?”

“Twilight is, and we took Applejack with us. I just left the team securing Pinkie, and Diamond and Button are going to get Fluttershy right now. We’ll make a second trip to look for stragglers after we’ve moved Rarity.”

Scootaloo nodded.

There was nopony left inside the Carousel Boutique besides Rarity, now, still where they’d left her. When Sweetie turned the lights on, she gasped and ran over. Over the Element of Generosity, there was a blanket now, stitched together seamlessly and tiled with images of Rarity’s cutie mark.

Scootaloo looked at it through the headache of the lights, and her face became a mask of worry.

“Coco...”

***

Berryshine tripped before she could lunge into range, pulled back by the same tattered fabric she’d just ripped apart with her Stand. The strips clung to her back leg, glowing with wavy cyan fairylight.
When she stood, ｢Simply Red｣ tore up the pieces again. Then, once they were on the ground, it grabbed a random, burning piece of wood and torched them. They didn’t even burn, so much as evaporate.
When that was over, she turned back to the enemy.

“If you step over here, I’ll forget that any of this happened and probably so will you. You’ll wake up tomorrow with the rest of the ponies, and live a new life with them. And if you don’t step over, I’m not responsible for what happens to you.”

The mare’s eyes hardened. Was that alcohol, or determination...?

“Nopony’s responsible for what happens to me.”

A shadow appeared over Berryshine, and she looked up to see a dull blanket blocking out the sky.  ｢Simply Red｣ struck it with its makeshift torch, and it disintegrated before it reached the ground.

The enemy continued, “It looks like my Stand has a longer range than yours. I don’t need to get close to stop you.”

Berryshine snarled back at her, “Neither do I!”

Then, her Stand flung the burning wood directly at her opponent.

***

Even with the town in trouble, and on an important mission, and with a bunch of ponies to worry about, there was still something exhilarating about moving quickly. It was like trying to be poignant while riding a rollercoaster, the wind resistance on Scootaloo’s cheeks kept her too occupied. It even sobered her up a little.

Sweetie was holding on and standing over Rarity on the couch, keeping a watchful eye in dark corners and holding her big sister in place. There was no need, but it made her feel better. Scootaloo was perched on top, looking straight ahead to the castle, and keeping the ground below the couch frictionless in the right directions. It was like sledding, but with brakes, and a ghost gave her the push.

When they reached the castle, the front was open, but nopony was waiting to get inside. Scootaloo increased speed straight up to that gaping door, and she realized she’d never been inside without the sun shining. Right now, it was just… eerie.

｢Go Zone｣ pushed the couch the rest of the way inside, and the two followed in after it, scanning the horizon for an ambush or nearby townsponies. It was only once they were inside that they realized they couldn’t see anypony in the castle either.

“M-maybe they’re not here yet?” Scootaloo asked.

Sweetie looked extra serious, held out a hoof and summoned her Stand. After a moment, she’d clicked through the reel. When she lowered it, she looked even more concerned.

“I don’t see anypony anywhere.”

Then, the doors slammed shut.

***

Coco sidestepped the wood, irritated, and it clattered to the grass beside her. She hadn’t even needed her Stand to dodge. She felt a little warm and woozy besides the time spend around the fires, and she wondered...

“Your Stand lets you make alcohol.”

The arsonist barked a harsh laugh. “It’s something more than that! I turn a universal liquid into something completely different, just by thought! Alchemists have dreamed of my power for ages before I was ever born! I’m Nature’s herald! And I’m going to bring all of you back to zero, and show you a new path to peace and prosperity, through me!”

Coco stared. Alchemists have been doing a lot better than that for centuries. But before she could respond, she noticed the fire spreading between her hooves.

She startled, and almost jumped back before she felt the fire spring up there too. Her saddlebags started to scorch, and she was forced to drop and roll away. Behind her, the green kept igniting, and in the dizzy spinning of her vision she could make out a trail leading back to the burning plank.

“When I was over there, my power even affected the dew on the grass! I’m invincible!” The earth pony cackled to herself.

Coco only put out the fire when she made it onto the road and away from the blaze. Her coat felt sticky, and not with sweat; that had been converted.

“If you try to move back now, you’ll go up in flames, and if you stay where you are, you won’t be able to dodge my attacks! ｢Simply Red｣!”

The Stand appeared and flew straight for her, already punching. Unlike hers, it had fists. Hands. ｢Something for Nothing｣ struck back with its hooves, but the corners of her vision swam just the same. She retched, and held it in for a moment, taking a step backwards and stumbling. With a sudden push, her Stand shoved her out of the way, and she went flying.

***

Scootaloo spun, and stared into the darkness the doors had been covering up.

“Look out!” the voice was exhausted, strained.

“Spike?” Sweetie asked, spinning and her voice bounced the length of the entryway.

“She took everyone! Everyone except Twilight! She’s still looking for Twilight!”

Then the darkness shifted, and broke into a run. A Stand appeared next to it, one Scootaloo recognized. The cloak, the bubbling magical darkness now stripped away to reveal a white coat and violet eyes, not even bothering to make eye contact as the metal pony raced silently beside her.

This was the one who tried to take Cheerilee.

Sweetie turned in time to see the mare bearing down on her, on the couch, on her sister. Shocked, she moved to block the path to Rarity, but -

She vanished.

***

As the enemy went flying towards more burning rubble, Berryshine laughed uncontrollably. No Stand could hold up against her, not as long as it was being piloted by something that ran on blood! No thing could resist the ultimate Nature that presided over life! It was the ultimate equalizer, the universal change that gave her the power of the gods!

Through these heady thoughts, and in the flickering, ever-present light, she made out the fabric tied around the flying pony’s middle. (Stomach? Barrel?) Her eyes tried to follow it, but this one was colored, green and grey to camouflage against the grass and the road. But why?

Then it went taut, and Berryshine felt herself being ripped from the ground. It was around her front hoof this time!

“When I was looking up at the blanket, that’s when you wrapped it around me! You only just attached the rest of it to yourself! A backup plan!” she yelled at the pony whose momentum was launching her toward her own fire, and then summoned her Stand, shouting, “Well, it won’t work!”

｢Simply Red｣ smashed a hole into the fabric, and it immediately started to fade, but it was too late. Still catapulted, Berryshine fell into the fire.

In that moment, she wished desperately for water.

Coco hit a poorly-made, lumpy cushion in the roadway, and moved no further. Beneath her, the fabric, the long grass-colored ribbon and even her Stand dissipated into so many particles. And then it was just the sound of the fire, and the light was dim but enough to block out the stars, and oh, Rarity, I did my best to keep it safe for you.

And then she passed out.

***

Sweetie had just disappeared! And in her place was a… CD?

The pony she formerly knew as Vinyl stepped over it, and her Stand came in contact with it. It sank immediately into the metal surface, and didn’t emerge. Then, the pair turned to Rarity.

“Don’t let her touch you with her hooves!” Spike’s voice called from higher up in the castle, “Get away from her!”

Then came the moment.

This was an important moment for Scootaloo. In this moment, she truly felt ｢aligned｣ with another’s purpose! She felt as if the protective spirit of Sweetie Belle lingered in the room, even while she was gone! As if Coco, her most recent friend, was standing beside her! Like the blood of every Ponyvillian ran in her veins! They had given this to her, this spirit to continue in the face of adversity, and now she was duty-bound to carry it on.

“｢GO ZONE｣!”

She flew straight at Vinyl, who looked over her shoulder too late. If it had been a slow flight, if there had been some hesitation in her action, then Scootaloo surely would’ve suffered the same fate as the other two Crusaders.

Instead, she unleashed a punch straight into the enemy Stand’s barrel, stunning it for a moment. With those extra seconds, she sailed the rest of the way onto Vinyl’s head, and kicked off of it, flipping through the air for another dizzy moment until she finally landed, sitting on the couch.

With a slight effort, ｢Go Zone｣ shoved the couch, and the floor below it became as slippery as possible. As she rolled deeper into the darkness of the castle, Scootaloo stared boldly at the sudden rage on Vinyl’s retreating face.

Beneath her, Rarity laid under the blanket. If anypony had been paying close attention, they might have said that she looked quietly, strangely peaceful.

｢To Be Continued｣

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78yioWJhUJA [Rush - Something for Nothing]

Stand Name: Antennas to Heaven
User: DJ PON3
Stats
Power: B
Speed: C
Range: E
Durability: B
Precision: B
Potential: C
Abilities: ???