Stan(d)on In Equestria Chapter 3:Fine Facet's First Fracas!

>Despite kicking copious amounts of changeling ass, eventually you and Dash feel the slowly encroaching dredges of consciousness tugging away at the dream around you.
>While you’re still capable to talking privately, the two of you agree to keep the night’s encounter with Luna a secret, at least from now.
>And like stepping out of a warm shower you find yourself back in the bed chambers of Twilight's crystal castle.
>The morning passes like a blur with the girl’s all going their separate ways not long after they all wake up (apart from Rarity, who spends an ungodly amount of time in the bathroom only to leave once she looks ‘respectable’).
>At Dash’s behest the two of you also make yourself scarce before Twilight can badger you with questions and experiments.
>And that’s how the two of you find yourselves walking through Ponyville’s park in an effort to get to Rainbow’s house quicker.
>At least, that’s what she said 15 minutes ago.
“Dash, I don’t know how but we’re going in circles.”
>”We CAN’T be though. I know Ponyville like the back of my hoof. And besides, we’re walking on a straight path!”
“So this is a different hobo sleeping on a bench than the last one we passed?”
>You wave a hand at the haggard looking pony sitting upright on the bench as you pass him for the 3rd time, his gentle snores fading in and out like the world’s slowest jet.
>”Maybe? Some ponies just like to sleep outside you know.”
>You roll your eyes and trek on, thankful for the fact that you don’t seem to be able to get tired.
>Time ticks on, and eventually you come across the same bench and the same snoozing vagrant pony once again.
“I say we ask him for directions.”
>”Or I could just fly up and see what way we’re going.”
>Dash streaks into the air and returns to the ground in the blink of an eye.
“That was fast.”
>”What was?”
“Your flight.”
>”What do you mean, I haven’t even taken off yet.”
>You raise a questioning eyebrow and shake your head.
“Whatever, go up and have a look then.”
>With a flap of her wings, Dash launches herself…
>Only to appear on the ground again a moment later.
“You just did it again.”
>”Did what? Can you stop interrupting me while I’m trying to take off?”
“But you’ve already done it twice!”
>You hear a scoff and turn to see the formerly sleeping pony staring at Rainbow Dash.
>”Something at fault, miss?”
>Dash shoots you a look before addressing the stranger.
>”Yea. We-I, I’m looking for the exit of the park, is it along this path?”
>”Indeed, I know for a firm fact that it is, for sure.”
>The two of you cock your heads at his odd wording, and before Dash can reply he speaks again.
>”Your ability to forge ahead, however depends on the answer to my first question;”
>”Is that fearsome fellow beside you your Stand?”
>For a moment silence falls upon the trail, thick as concrete. Even birds and wildlife choose to remain quiet.
>”What if he is?”
>”Then I’ll have found my focus for the afternoon.”
>”Your focus?”
>”What drives you forward, fair filly? Fear of the unknown, maybe? Or is it the fascination and desire to be the finest in all the land?”
>Dash cocks her head as the stallion continues.
>”To come first in a race, you need to train right? You might train your wings, an earth pony might train their legs, etcetera. My desire is to have the finest stand in all of Equestria, and to do that I need to first train it.”
“And frankly, the best way to do that is to feed it a firm diet of fights.”
“Well, if it’s a fight you want it’s a fight we can provide.”
>You look down at Dash and crack a smile.
“You ready?”
>”You betcha.”
>You step forward, and the stallion smiles as he slides himself off the bench.
>”Fantastic. I’m Fine Facet, by the way. It’s only fair to know who you’ll be fighting.”
>The stallion runs a hoof through his mane and with roll of his shoulders, his stand manifests behind him.
>The first thing you notice is it’s hair (or mane, you suppose would be the proper word). In a word, it’s long, bellowing out behind it and being blow by some unseen wind. It’s face is angular and vaguely equine in nature and though it’s hair covers its eyes you see its mouth stretched out into something between a grimace and a smile.
>”To make things fair I’ll even inform you the function of my stan-”
>You take a step and swing out with your fist, intent to catch him off guard to end this fight before it even begins.
>Only to find yourself having not moved an inch and his stand barreling down on you.
>”To reset the flow of time. That is the foremost faculty stand; the Best-”
>His stand swings, catching you square center in the chest.
>The impact drives all the air out of your body and lights every nerve on your chest on fire.
>And then Facet's stand is before you again, swinging the same punch as before with no time to block it.
>”the Best-”
>The impact strikes you again.
>”the Best-”
>And again.
>”the Best-”
>And again.
>”the ｢ＢＥＳＴ  ＯＦ  ＹＯＵ｣!”
>The final strike hits you like a sledgehammer and sends you and Dash flying backwards.
>You reach out and grab Dash, shielding her as you slam into the trunk of a tree, shaking the trunk and sending leaves dancing down to the ground.
“Well f-”
>”-uck me.”
>Unsteadily, the two of you climb to your feet and you gingerly feel your battered ribs.
>”So, got a plan?”
“Just one’. You?”
>”Same.”
“Alright then.”
>The sound of snapping twigs draws your attention forward, and you turn to see Facet striding towards you through grass.
>”Of course, just fighting is not enough. One cannot learn without failure. So go ahead, beat me and you will earn your freedom.”
“Well hey, you asked for it.”
>You dig your food into the ground, then kick it upwards, creating a blinding plume of dirt.
>At the same moment Dash shoots and you follow. The two of you streak forward, fists and hooves raised to meet the blinded stallion…
>Only to find yourselves back at the base of the tree.
>You kick the dirt again, and Dash takes flight, even as Facet dodges to the side.
>Right into Dash’s new flightpath.
>For a moment, her hoof connects with the stallions cheek.
>And then she’s back beside you, and Facet is wiping away the trickle of blood from the gouge on his cheek.
>”My my, that was fast. It’s a rare few that figure out that feeble trick in the first few moments of the fight.”
>Facet’s stand swipes its hand, and flings a load of dirt at you.
>It flies through the air, and you raise your arm to block, only for it to be returned to your side, and the dirt returned to its point just after leaving his stand’s hoof.
>A moment before it hits not you, but Dash, the dirt resets again.
>Again and again it’s position resets, each time it’s speed gets a little faster until.
>”｢ＢＥＳＴ  ＯＦ  ＹＯＵ｣.”
>Although it’s only tiny particles, each piece of dirt has built up enough speed to hit like a bullet, and though you try to shield Dash resulting scattershot blast peppers the side of her body with impacts, drawing blood and a pained scream from the pegasus pony.
>What doesn’t hit her flies overhead and strikes the tree, creating a shower of splinters that fall like a deadly rain all around you, injuring the two of you further.
>Facet gives a tired, almost bored sigh.
>”Another fight, another failure.”
>”For a stand as unique as yours I had had faith for some fantastic ability to tilt the odds in your favor, but it appears I my logic was faulty.”
“That’s not the only thing of yours at fault.”
>Facet pauses and looks down at you.
>”Oh, and what makes you say that?”
>You rise to your feet, and Dash does the same a moment later, ignoring the blood spilling down her body.
>”How does it feel that a couple of strangers figured out the true power of a stand before it’s user did?”
>Facet’s cool demeanor fades for a moment and he lashes out with his stand.
>You swing your hands around to block, placing the chunk of wood in your hands between you and his stand’s hoof.
>You feel the impact shoots through your arms, the wood cracking and exploding into spinters before your eyes…
>And then your vision clears as your arms find themselves back down, with Facet once again bearing down on you.
“Checkmate idiot.”
>The splinters from the exploding chunk of wood explode shoot outwards from where you hold it at your waist, flying towards a shocked looking Facet.
>Instinctively, he resets in an attempt to dodge, but he realizes that he’s much too close for them to miss entirely.
“See if your stand really reset time, the wood wouldn’t have remained damaged. But it did, and you only reset it’s location.”
>”H-how did you...did I...”
>”And by trying to escape it with your resets, you’ve only made the splinters faster.”
>True to Dash’s words the splinters reach max speed, and shoot forward to completely perforate Facet.
>You follow through with an uppercut and for the first time one of your blows finally lands, sending him end over end and crashing into the underbrush.
>As you approach to finish him off you hear...laughter?
>You bring your fists up in a defencive stance but Facet just laughs and puts his hooves up in surrender.
>”I forfeit! I’m finished! Haha!”
>You cock an eyebrow at the wounded pony and Dash speaks up.
>”That’s right, you are finished. No more battling random ponies, or next time you’ll be dealing with the Princesses.”
>Facet’s eyes go wide and his jaw drops.
>”I-I promise, no f-further fighting for me!”
“Good. Have some time to mull over what you’re going to do with your life.”
>With a sharp sideswipe you crack him in the cheek, and wince as you feel his jaw break beneath your knuckles, knocking him unconscious.
>”Yikes. Did you have to go that far?”
“Well he can’t fight ponies when he’s in the hospital now can he?”
>”Good point. You know what? A hospital sounds pretty good about now.”
“Twilight’s a princess right? Wouldn’t she know some crazy healing magic?”
>”That’s...huh.”
>Dash thinks for a moment, before nodding her head (which results in a slight wince as she jars her sore bones.
>”Let’s find that out.”