Anon's Stando Adventure Part 3: The Second Day

>You are Anonymous
>And you have just woken from the sweetest deep sleep you’ve ever had
>You didn’t even dream or anything
>Did yesterday really honestly happen? It seems kind of like a fever dream
>Pulling your right hand from under the covers confirms that you did not imagine a single thing
>The cast is still there, rigid and unmoving
>Which means…
>With a thought, [Planisphère] phases into existence above you, its bulbous head looking down on your relaxed form
>Fucking excellent
>A yawn escapes your mouth, and you close your eyes and arch your back in a long and wonderful stretch
>When you open your eyes, you see that you’ve “switched” into [Planisphère]’s body again, and its visor is giving you the same readout as yesterday
>Experimenting, a needle emerges from your Stand’s finger, and launches into the floor nearby
>After waiting a few seconds for some sort of visible effect and nothing happening, you decide to look through your own eyes again and get out of bed
>As you shuffle towards the kitchen to make breakfast, you notice an envelope resting on the floor by your front door
>Must have come through the mail slot this morning
>You stoop over to pick it up and notice that it says “To Anon, From AJ” on the back
>Curious
>Inside there’s just a simple letter from Applejack, signed with a flourish
>”Howdy Anon, figured you’d be tired as heck after all that Stand business yesterday, since I know I am. Anyway, I’m taking the day off today to try and experiment with my Stand, and I’m giving you the next week off of work so your hand can heal properly. Be warned though, that when you come back I’ll work you to the bone for a week straight. Enjoy your down time, and I’ll see you around town later. -AJ”
>Shit, you didn’t even think about work after yesterday
>It’s a huge relief to not have to worry about doing any heavy lifting, but you do feel bad for AJ
>The poor mare’s gonna have to work twice as hard to make up for you not being there to help out
>Nothing you can do about it though, so you may as well make the most of the week you’ve been given
>On to breakfast
>Since it’d be difficult to cook pancakes and imitation bacon with just one hand available, you settle for frozen waffles drizzled with butter and syrup and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice
>It’s grown by magical horses, so you don’t even need to worry about pulp
>Admittedly it was difficult to cut the orange until you realized that [Planisphère] could hold it still with its left hand while you cut it with your own left hand, and by the time you realized that it was too late to cook the eggs, but breakfast was delicious anyway
>Afterwards you undergo the familiar routine of shit, shower, and shave before deciding to experiment a little with your Stand
>Shaving, thankfully, is easy with only one good hand
>Twilight’s gonna be experimenting on you today, so you might as well see if you can surprise her with a new power or something
>Taking some fruit into your backyard, you toss a few overripe apples and bananas into the air all at once and try to get [Planisphère] to smash all of them before they hit the ground
>It’s not the most precise Stand, since a few of the fruits pass harmlessly by its fist, but the objects it does hit are pulped with a satisfying squish, and it’s handicapped anyway
>Can its legs do anything?
>A few simple tests reveal that no, its legs do basically nothing aside from looking goofy and allowing it to pose like any other Stand from the manga
>Well since the legs and elbow fins are a bust, might as well try your power out on something else
>You’ve used it on flesh-and-blood targets before, but will it affect non-sentient non-fleshy beings as well?
>At your command, [Planisphère] produces a needle which it fires into the nearest tree
>…
>Literally nothing happens. No leaves fall, no branches break, no pinecones smack you on the noggin
>Well that sucked
>Since that was a bust, what about testing your Stand on yourself?
>Might be bad, but as a great scientist once said, “you never know until you’re dying on the floor in a pool of your own blood.”
>You think that might have been Oppenheimer
>Another needle emerges from [Planisphère]’s finger and you squeeze your eyes shut, pointing it at your thigh and waiting for the pain
>ACK
>It’s like being pinched by a particularly vigorous grandmother
>…But you don’t feel like sneezing at all, and the needle’s vanished
>Hmm
“Do you know why I don’t feel like sneezing?”
>Your Stand only offers you a blank look through its visor in response
“Yeah, I kinda figured you wouldn’t.”
>Anything else you ought to follow up on?
>Um…
>Oh, right
>Spike mentioned a pull between the two of you yesterday, and you confirmed it
>You close your eyes and try to feel around with your mind, searching for the same feeling from yesterday
>It’s very faint, but you can feel a slight mental tug from the directions of Twilight’s house and Sweet Apple Acres
>Looks like allied Stand users can directly sense each other’s presence
>You’re unsure if the creation of an enemy Stand user would change that though
>Good thing it seems to be a mostly unconscious deal, otherwise you’d get irritated as hell
“Alright, let’s head over to Twilight’s. It’s time to get experimented on.”
>WAIT
>Blade Dancer was able to get into your house with no problem yesterday, but you’re not sure how she did it
>Sure she’s a unicorn, but maybe she was able to sneak in easily anyway
>So after you pull on your watch and straighten out your suit, you spend the next few minutes locking every door and window and duct taping them shut
>When you’re satisfied that you won’t get assaulted again because you left the upstairs windows unlatched, you lock the front door behind you and head out for the day
>Twilight’s place approaches you as you head up the street, looming invitingly over all the little horses that pass it by
>As you approach you notice a sign on the door that states, “Closed for the day, please come back tomorrow. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle”
>You knock a few times and wait out on the stoop
>Spike opens the door after a few moments
>”Oh hey Anon, good to see you! Twilight’s setting some stuff up in the basement for later, but you can come on in anyway!”
>It’s a good thing he’ll never know how lewd that sounded
>The Ponyville library is just as inviting as ever, and it smells like oak and yellowed pages
>Reminds you a bit of your childhood
>”Come on and sit down for a bit Anon, I’ll let Twi know you’re here. You want anything to drink?”
>Spike pulls you up a chair in the kitchen and gestures for you to sit down
“Nah, I had breakfast right before I came over. Thanks though.”
>”Cool. I’m gonna go let Twilight know you’re here, and then maybe we’ll have some time to talk about our Stands. Be right back!”
>He scampers off down the stairs, yelling for the local librarian
>While he’s out, you fold your left leg over your right, hunch over onto the kitchen table, bring your right hand in towards your stomach, and drape your fingers over your face
>[Planisphère] hunches over behind your back in a menacing fashion, imitating the gesture
>”She says she’ll be ready in a few-“
>Spike stops short of the kitchen entryway, gawking in awe at your posing game
>”Whoa! You look way cool Anon! How’d you learn to look like that? I wonder if I can do it too…”
>He turns his back towards you, squints over his right shoulder, balls his little fists and summons [Dragonforce] out of his shoulder blades
>The effect is actually rather intimidating, even though you know he’d never hurt a fly
“Dang Spike, that’s some impressive posing you’ve got going on. Nice job.”
>Grinning widely, Spike runs over to the table and pulls up a seat
>”Thanks! I’m glad it looked cool. So, have you done anything cool with [Planisphère] since last night?”
“I mean, I shot a tree. And uh… I made it punch fruits. That’s about it. Oh, and I can see through its eyes if I concentrate hard enough.”
>Spike’s eyes dilate until all you can see are the edges of his irises
>That’s kind of freaky, and you’ve seen a lot of freaky stuff since you arrived here
>”REALLY!? THAT’S AWESOME! HOW D’YOU DO IT, ANON?”
“I just uh, kinda focus. Tell you what, I’ll show you an example. Hold up some fingers behind your back and I’ll say the number you’re holding up.”
>You close your eyes and concentrate on [Planisphère]
>As it phases into existence behind you, your vision fades back in until you can see Spike through its visor
>You bring your Stand around behind Spike’s back, and admit to yourself that you cut a pretty cool figure when you pose like that
>Spike’s holding up 3 fingers behind his back
“Three.”
>”Whoa, that’s so cool! Do some more!”
“Six.”
“Five.”
“One.”
“Eight.”
>”Anon, that’s amazing! How’d you even figure that out?”
“Well according to the original comics, Stand users can use their Stands to talk to each other. I figured I could extend that to the five senses in general since I felt it when my Stand touched Rarity’s nose yesterday.”
>He pouts a little at that
“While the girls were fixing me up I passed the time by messing around with my Stand until I tried to see through its eyes, and the rest just kind of happened from there.”
>Spike summons Dragonforce out of his shoulders again, and takes on the face of someone who’s been constipated for a week
“You okay there dude? You look like you gotta take a dump.”
>”I’m good Anon, just trying to feel stuff with [Dragonforce]. Not sure it’s working though.”
“Well heck, you’ve got the rest of your life to learn how to use your Stand, you’ll get the hang of it someday.”
>Twilight takes that moment to poke her head into the treebrary from the basement stairs
>”Hey Anon, good to see you! Ready to start on our experiments?”
>You chuckle
“You sure wanted to get started quickly. I don’t think you’ve even had the Arrow for twelve hours yet.”
>Twilight rolls her eyes
>”Well we need to observe the kind of actions your Stand can take, and come to think of it we should probably get you looked at too Spike, since I want to gather as much data as possible. If Applejack didn’t have to work today I’d have dragged her over here as well.”
>The letter from before drifts into the front of your thoughts
“Well, AJ’s taking the day off today, so maybe you could see about buggin’ her. Not so sure she’d appreciate it though.”
>Twi looks at you inquisitively
“She sent me a letter this morning giving me the next week off so my hand can heal, and said she’d be taking the day off work to recuperate after yesterday afternoon.”
>Twilight seems to actually be considering ponynapping AJ for experiments
>”Nah, we all had a rough day yesterday. I won’t bother her about it just yet. You two, on the other hand, volunteered for this, so we’re doing it now. C’mon, follow me.”
>You and dragon-boy follow Purplesmart into the basement
>Suspended by magic within a jar on the table floats the Arrow, surrounded by various magical implements and a few notepads
>”Don’t worry, everything’s been sanitized since yesterday. Now Anon, Spike, I need you two to just take a seat and relax. I’m going to get the Arrow ready for a few tests later on in the day, so you two can keep having your conversation from earlier.”
“Alrighty Twi.”
>You notice a big seismograph-looking thing over in the corner, hooked up to a crystal pointing at the Arrow and delivering readings on a continuously printing piece of paper
>Whatever, you can ask about that later
>Twinkle Sprinkle runs around the basement, attaching electrodes hooked up to another machine onto the jar holding the arrow
>It’s very flashy and constantly prints a shit ton of data that makes no sense to you
“So what’s she trying to do here Spike? Why attach all this stuff to the Arrow when Celestia wants her to cast spells on it or whatever?”
>Spike leans in, cupping a hand over his mouth so Twi doesn’t hear his next words
>”She’s a big nerd, gotta get technological readings as well as magical readings for her data. Why she doesn’t just test it on herself I don’t know.”
>Now there’s an idea
>Not a good one but good ideas are a rarity for you
“Hey Twilight, why not just use the Arrow on yourself? It’d make getting these readings and observing our Stands way easier.”
>She visibly hesitates in the middle of arranging some test tubes at the back of the basement before continuing with her work
>”Though I am interested in that idea, it would likely knock me unconscious for between two hours and three days, you’d need to get me to the hospital, and Spike would probably need to be taken care of for the night.”
>The dragon bristles a little
>”I may be a kid but I can take care of myself, especially now that I have [Dragonforce]!”
“Do you know what your Stand’s power is yet?”
>The kid deflates a little
>”No…”
>Twilight finishes whatever she’s doing back there and trots over to the table, smiling brightly at the both of you with her notebook grasped in her magic
>”Well that’s why you’re here. We’re going to figure out exactly what your Stands do today!”

>Twilight has set up a couple training dummies in the corner of the basement, one for you and one for Spike
>Well, she calls them training dummies, but they’re just enchanted logs
>According to Book Horse they’re enchanted so they won’t break, but they will soak up impacts without damaging the impactor
>Meaning you can punch a log without breaking your other hand like a dumbass
>”Let’s start with a basic punch test. Anon, you demonstrated inequine, er inhuman speed with your Stand yesterday, able to punch through wood a few times a second for several seconds on end. I want to see if you can still do that with one hand tied behind your back.”
“Easy peasy Twi, sit back and watch the master at work.”
>Focus…
“[PLANISPHÈRE]!”
>Its left fist blasts into the log, causing it to shake a little before settling
>”Good, that was a strong blow. I’m magically tracking the impacts you make on these logs. It’s kind of like a scale for how hard you can hit.”
“Is there anything you can’t do with magic?”
>She snorts derisively
>”Not really. Anyway, please continue.”
>Your lips pull back from your teeth in what you think might be an ecstatic grin and your Stand pulls its fist back
“FUCK YOU!”
>THOCK
>Er, Spike’s here though, and Twi’s looking at you like that wasn’t the best idea, so you decided to change your yells
“ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA ORAAAAAAAAAA!”
>[Planisphère]’s final blow forces the log back a few inches, wobbling back and forth before coming to rest on its base once more
“Phew, how was that, Twi?”
>She squeezes her eyes shut while she tries to come up with an answer
>”Wow, [Planisphère] is a pretty strong Stand! It’s hitting slightly harder than a full-grown stallion, and that’s just with its left hand!”
>You scoff
“Pfft, that’s nothing. In the manga there was one that could punch through foot-thick diamonds with no problems. My Stand barely registers compared to that.”
>The two of them look at you in wonder and…fear?
>Spike is the first to speak, barely above a whisper
>”Foot-thick diamonds? Without hurting the user?”
>Twilight seems to be considering the implications of granting power like that, since she’s uneasily looking back and forth between you and the Arrow
>Stammering, you quickly interject
“B-but he’s the most overpowered character in the manga, like one of those heroes from kid’s shows that never loses! And Stands that strong are almost nonexistent anyway, so the chance of someone getting a Stand like that is astronomically low! It’s nothing to worry about guys.”
>You hope
>Twilight looks to you again, concern written all over her face, but then she turns to Spike
>”Well if nopony else gets their hooves on this thing then we won’t need to worry about that anyway, right? It’s your turn for the strength test Spike!”
>The little guy steps up to the log proudly, puffing out his chest
>And he deflates just as quickly without even summoning [Dragonforce]
>”Guys, how the heck am I supposed to hit that thing? My Stand’s like a couple of worms that just sort of drift around. There’s not much I can do with that.”
“I dunno, maybe try slapping it. If that doesn’t work then curl it up and jab with it.”
>You make a fist and punch the air to emphasize your point
>The little guy sighs before sprouting [Dragonforce] out of his back and rearing back with it
>”Here I go! RAAAAAAAAH!”
>One of his tentacles swings through the air at high speed, straight at the log-
>And just kind of sticks to it instead
>It hit the log just fine, but the tentacle sort of molded to the shape of it, like a string touching an object underwater
>”Well this sucks.”
“You haven’t tried jabbing yet little man.”
>”Oh, r-right.”
>[Dragonforce]’s other tentacle drags along the ground for an instant before Spike raises it up-
>And it refuses to come off the floor
>”Guys, I think my Stand’s broken.”
>”What’s wrong Spike?”
>He tries to pry it off the stone floor but it won’t budge
>He turns and bends down to grab it with his claws, and the other tentacle refuses to come off of the log
>”Wh-hey! My Stand’s stuck!”
>He grabs both of [Dragonforce]’s tentacles and pulls them, hard
“Spike wait, you’re gonna hurt yourself!”
>As you step forward to help the little dragon, his hands snap to his head and he doubles over in pain, moaning softly on the floor
>Twilight rushes over, crouching next to him
>”Spike! Are you okay!?”
>The little guy staggers back to his feet, defeat written all over his face
>”I think I pulled on my Stand a little too hard. But it’s no use, I’ll never be able to use it to fight if this is all it does! What a stupid power…”
>…You think you see a learning experience here
“Well Spike, sometimes the best way to learn something about your Stand is to just stop what you’re doing and look inside yourself. Let the Stand talk to you in its own way. [Planisphère] moved of its own accord right before I realized its ability, so maybe your Stand will do something similar. Just try to focus on what your Stand naturally wants to do.”

>Be Puff The Magic Dragon
>Man, you wish you were Puff right now
>At least he was cool
>Still, you try to calm down enough to follow Anon’s advice
>It just sucks that he and Applejack have cool powers and you have a pair of sticky worms
>But assuming there’s something you’re not seeing here, you can try to listen to your Stand and hopefully do something really cool with it
>Closing your eyes, you try to feel around for something like the feeling you got the first time you called out [Dragonforce]
>…
>…
>…!
>There’s something out there, something floating just outside of your soul!
>It’s like a small rubber ball, just sitting there, but you can touch it with your Stand
>As you begin drawing it closer to yourself, you detect the presence of something behind you
>Mentally pushing your focus that way, you see another ball-like thing just floating there
>You reach out and grasp them with your mind, and bring the two of them closer to your soul
>For a brief instant feelings not your own flow through you
>The babbling of a brook at the end of spring, leaves dyed every hue of green there is
>A stark and jagged landscape, smelling of granite and slate and upturned soil
>And then the balls switch places
>”What the hell?”
>Your eyes jerk open, searching for the problem
“What’s wrong Ano-“
>Whoa!
>The floor looks like a tree trunk!
>And the log looks like it’s made out of rocks!
>In the exact places where [Dragonforce] was touching the floor and the wood, there are perfect circles where they seem to have switched places!
>”Whoa Spike, did you do that?”
“Y-yeah, I think I did, Twilight!”
>You switched the surfaces of the things [Dragonforce]’s tentacles touched!
>Awesome!
>You fist pump to yourself as Twilight runs over and hugs you
>”Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this. You have a seriously cool power, Spike!”
>Wow, praise from Anon!
>He’s such a cool guy with his Stand, and now you can be just like him, fighting by his side against enemy Stand users!
>It’s gonna be awesome!
>Hey, could you switch them again?
>Focusing, you slap your Stand back onto the centers of the changed areas and concentrate
>Again you feel the orbs floating around you, tethered to the ends of your Stand’s tentacles, but something’s different
>There are more of them now!
>Several different orbs float on either end of your Stand, each looking and feeling way different from each other!
>You take the two that you originally switched and put them back where they belong, to accompanying gasps of awe from Anon and Twilight
>Then you take a look at the other orbs, each of which seem to be paired with an orb from the other side
>Shrugging, you grab one at random from the group in front of you and feel one from the group behind respond
>You grab that orb and switch the two, and open your eyes to find something different
>Where before it looked like you switched the outsides of the log and the floor, now it looks like you sculpted them into each other!
>The floor looks like it’s rock chiseled into the shape of a tree trunk, and the log looks like it’s wood carved into the shape of a smooth rock
>”Whoa Spike! You can do more than just switch surfaces?”
“Seems that way big guy! I wonder if there’s more to it than that though.”
>You were able to switch “surface” and “shape,” but maybe you can switch something else
>What was that thing Twilight was teaching you about last week?
>｢Density｣?
>As if on cue, one ball from each side of you floats towards the center, and you feel them switch places on their own!
>You feel the stone beneath you give just a little, like you’re standing on the wooden floor upstairs
>For a quick second you feel like you can do anything
>Then the feeling passes and your Stand retracts from the surfaces it’s touched
>Twilight hugs you again and Anon gives you the thumbs up and a huge smile
>”Proud of you dude, you’ve got an incredible ability.”
>”Yes Spike, that was incredible! I can’t wait to see what else you can do!”
>With a self-satisfied grin on your face and anticipation in your heart, you flex dramatically for Anon and Twilight
“Well you know, all in a day’s work!”
>The pair of them giggle before Twilight gets up and moves over to another corner of the basement
>”Now for something a little different!”

————————————————————————
STAND NAME: [DRAGONFORCE]
STAND MASTER: SPIKE THE DRAGON

POWER: D
SPEED: C
RANGE: B
DURABILITY: E
PRECISION: C
POTENTIAL: B

ABILITY: [DRAGONFORCE] allows its user to switch two “aspects” of whatever the Stand’s tentacles touch, including shape, surface, and density. Spike can apply its ability to many different concepts of thermodynamics and physics, he just needs to discover them first.
————————————————————————

>As Twilight starts to move towards another part of the basement, you hear a sudden crash from upstairs
>”HELLO? IS THE LIBRARIAN HERE?”
>There’s a pony hollering at the top of her voice on the first floor
>Twilight and Spike look as surprised as you feel, but Twilight regains her composure and teleports to the top of the stairs in a burst of light
>”You guys stay here, okay? Be right back!”
>You and Spike glance at each other before the purple unicorn slips through the basement door, vague murmuring the only thing you can hear from the upper floor
>Suddenly, there are several hoof falls in rapid succession followed by a muffled thud
>Silence reigns for a long and tense moment, the two of you breathing as quietly as possible, not moving
>Then you hear a single set of hooves walking towards the basement door
>”Right this way? Thanks!”
>The door bursts open and in steps a pegasus, lime green with a burgundy mane and tail and a cutie mark shaped like a white drop
>If you weren’t extremely on edge you’d be giggling under your breath
>”Hey there you two! I’ve been looking for you all morning! The receptionist wasn’t being very helpful, so how about we have a little heart to heart?”
>Spike snarls, anger and fear twisting his face
>”Hey, where’s Twilight? What’d you to to her!?”
>The pegasus chuckles and gestures behind herself with a wing
>”The librarian? I suppose you could say she’s in a rather… sticky situation. HahahahHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
>Instead of the evil laugh you were expecting she breaks down into hysterical giggles, apparently finding her shitty pun hilarious
“What the hell do you mean by that?”
>The green mare regains her composure long enough to wipe a few tears from her eyes, and she stands triumphantly at the top of the stairs
>”I’ll tell you in a sec, but first let’s have a little girl talk. You know, where you’ve been recently, what mares you have a crush on, what kind of Stands you two have, that sort of thing!”
>Immediately you step in front of Spike, assuming a defensive stance
>The thought of pre-existing Stand users never even crossed your mind, you thought they’d only been around in the distant past!
“Spike, I think she’s an enemy Stand user!”
>”Oh bra-vo human! You guessed right!”
>She flourishes her wings and sneers down her snout at you
>A deep and primal fright fills Spike’s face
>He’s not ready for this, but neither of you has a choice; Twilight’s life is on the line!
>You’re gonna teach this little horse not to mess with your friends!
“Spike, grab her!”
>”Right!”
>The little guy summons ｢Dragonforce｣ and whips its tentacles at her
>Unfortunately he’s too far away for his Stand to ensnare her, so you quickly summon ｢Planisphère｣ and prepare a needle, taking careful aim at her barrel
>Her response is a simple grin
>”I’m afraid projectiles won’t work on me, human. Though you’re certainly welcome to try.”
>She makes a noise in her throat like she’s getting ready to hock a loogie, and you launch the needle at full speed!
>In the second before it makes contact with her coat she leans her head forward and spits a huge glob of something out of her mouth and onto the needle in mid-flight, slamming the projectile into the stairs!
>”Like I said, that won’t work. Don’t be stupid.”
>Realizing that you might be out of your league, you turn tail and flee farther into the basement, dragging Spike along for the ride
“Grab some stuff off the table, we might be able to use it later!”
>”Okay!”
>He extends his Stand’s tentacles, snatching some of the notebooks and unused measuring instruments and pulling them to his chest
>As you escape with Spike, the pegasus taps her hoof to her chin in mock remembrance
>”Oh yeah, I never introduced myself, did I? Name’s Sunny Skies! Pleased to meetcha! You two fine fellows must be Anonymous and Spike!”
>Did she torture your names out of Twilight? Who the hell is she?
>You quickly round a few crates of old tomes stacked two high, setting Spike down and letting him examine the stuff he’s grabbed while you creep over to the corner
>Sunny Skies is still perched atop the stairs, grinning at you like every move you make is the funniest thing she’s ever seen
>”Just to give you both a reason to hurry, I’ll explain what my Stand does. ｢Tuesday Heartbreak｣ allows me to spit an extremely sticky substance that causes my victims to slowly forget their special talents. Your purple friend upstairs is stuck to the floor, and pretty soon she’ll totally forget what her place in the world is! Isn’t that just unfortunate~?”
>This bitch…
>Wait, if that’s what her Stand does…
>You peek out from behind the box
“How did you stop my needle mid-flight, then? Your Stand is just sticky, it’s not dense!”
>Her smugness is so strong it could power a small country
>”Well Anonymous, my Stand has two functions, and I already told you about the first. The second is a little trickier to pull off, but if the mass of the spit stuck to something is greater than the mass of that thing-”
>You let loose another needle at her stupid horsey face
>It’s met with another huge wad of her spit, and slams into the stone stairs with enough force to crack them
>”-then the effects of gravity on it increase fivefold!”
“And that’s why my needles won’t work!”
>”Precisely. Now how’s about we negotiate a little surrender? You guys give up and I promise I’ll stop Twilight from forgetting her talent. Whaddaya say?”
>The sharp crack of splintering stone answers for you, and the crate you’re peeking around shoots out of the pile and directly towards the stairs!
>”YOU CAN GO STRAIGHT TO TARTARUS!!”
>Spike just kicked that crate like it was nothing!
>At the last second you notice one of ｢Dragonforce｣’s tentacles attached to the crate, and the little dragon jumps past you, following it upwards!
>As it reaches the tip of its arc, two pulses of light run through his Stand, and suddenly the crate is flying with a lot more weight behind it!
>Spike and the crate both smash into the top of the stairs, throwing up dust and scattering old tomes and chunks of wood around the door!
>Holy shit, is he okay!?
“SPIKE!”

————————————————————————
STAND NAME: [TUESDAY HEARTBREAK]
STAND MASTER: SUNNY SKIES
POWER: D
SPEED: B
RANGE: C (30M)
DURABILITY: NONE
PRECISION: USER’S
POTENTIAL: E

APPEARANCE: HER SPIT
ABILITY: Allows Sunny Skies to spit up a very sticky substance that easily ensnares those who touch it. This spit slowly makes the victim forget their special talent the longer they are in contact with it. This forgetfulness has the additional effect of slowly destroying Stands, which becomes permanent if the problem is not taken care of in time. In addition, if the mass of the spit is greater than the mass of the object it touches, the effect of gravity on that object is multiplied by five. The Stand-spit will disappear if the user leaves its range, and the effects will immediately be dispelled. This is the only way to reverse the forgetting process. In beings without cutie marks the spit instead causes general degradation of memory to the point of rendering the victim nonfunctional.
————————————————————————

>Throwing caution to the wind, you rush towards the carnage in your search for the little dragon
“SPIKE, ARE YOU OKAY!?”
>As you dash up the stairs, some of the rubble stirs, revealing a very dazed and confused Spike
>You quickly cover the distance and crouch down to give him a worried hug
“Are you alright buddy? You look okay. Holy crap you could’ve killed the both of you!”
>He doesn’t seem to be too badly hurt, considering how destructive that attack was
>”I’m… phew, I think I’m okay Anon! I got her good!”
“Glad to hear it man, but later we’re gonna have a talk about almost killing someone.”
>”Uhh… sorry about that.”
>He scrabbles around in the loose pages, embarrassed and guilty, until you hoist him onto his feet and stand up yourself
“How’d you kick the crate like it was nothing? It had to have been like a thousand pounds! Are you hurt?”
>Spike stands up and dusts himself off, looking extremely pleased with himself
>”Nah, I’m tough! Comes with being a dragon! I used my Stand to switch the crate’s weight with the weight of one of those notebooks I grabbed, then I just kicked it up at her and switched them back when I got close!”
>He’s known what it can do for maybe three minutes and he’s already using his Stand in really creative ways
>It’s bringing a tear to your eye
>Which the rustling of paper and wood behind you quickly disperses
>A deep red mane pokes itself out of the mess, followed quickly by the bright green body of the invader pegasus
>”Anon, look out!”
>Sunny Skies spits out a chunk of wood and runs a hoof over her tongue, trying to wipe off the taste
>”Ick, aw man that was nasty. You got me good, and that would have crippled a lesser pony, but I’m a bit tougher than the average pegasus you little purple fart. Anyway HGGKK-“
>Before you can react, a stone-sized glob of off-white spit erupts out of her throat and onto your arm, perfectly splattering your hand and sleeve with sticky, foul-smelling goo
“Aw, FU-!”
>It feels like being splashed with extremely cold water, like you’ve just been rudely awoken
>Your left hand feels somewhat wet
>…What were you doing again? Trying to fight, but who? And with what? You can’t fight, everyone knows that you’re just a little bitch from the good side of town who got dragged into… into…
>Protect
>Pain
>Friends
>Loss
>Flight
>Vanish
>Planisphère
>…Planis…phère?
>Behind you, something green and vaguely human-shaped is crumbing into dust
>What is that?
>Probably doesn’t matter, you’ve already forgotten what you were just thinking about
>Man, you’re tired. It feels like you could sleep forever right now, but you just want to remember what you’ve forgotten
>What was it?

“ANON!”
>Oh Celestia no, Anon’s been hit by her Stand ability!
>His Stand’s starting to break apart too, you’ve gotta get it off of him!
>”Ah ah, if you touch him you’ll end up just like him. Forgetful of your powers and purpose, doomed to reminisce about your failures. Helping your friend won’t accomplish anything right now.”
>Sunny Skies turns to face you, dropping her serious act
>”It’s just you and me now dragon boy, and I want you to show me what you’ve got!”
>You quickly bound down the stairs to get away from the menacing pegasus, and as you turn to face her from the bottom of the stairs she starts spitting on Anon’s pants and shoes, anchoring him to the floor
>You’ll help him break free, no matter what it takes!
>Sprinting to where you left everything from the table, you start sifting through what you’ve got, looking for something to use your Stand on
>There! A little metal eye telescope thing! Twilight uses ‘em to check gemstones!
>If your scales are metal, you’ll have no trouble with her spit!
>…Hopefully!
>Summoning your Stand, you place one tentacle on the metal scope and the other on your chest, and focus
>…
>But you can’t feel anything!
>Does ｢Dragonforce｣ not work on you?!
“Rrrrrgh! Of course not, that’d just be too easy, huh!?”
>”Oh? Having a little trouble with your powers? Must have just gotten em, huh?”
“STOP TALKING, YOU’RE TICKING ME OFF!”
>What the heck else do you have to work with here? A telescope, a few notebooks, a pen, a gem scraper, a big-
>Gem scraper?
>As in, the diamond-tipped thing Twilight uses to get samples from rocks for study?
“Aw yeah! Score!”
>If you could just find something to use this on, you could make a really powerful weapon!
“Hmmm… Ah!”
>There, in the corner! It’s a big ol’ piece of wood!
>Quickly, you swap the surfaces of the scraper and the big plank of wood, just barely managing to carry it overhead as you skitter around the corner and have a heart attack
>Sunny Skies stands right in front of you, amused smirk on her face as her eyes follow you
>”Back for more? I see you’ve brought a… a carbon 2 x 4… wait no, I can make this into a joke, I know it. Hm…”
>You’ve covered half the distance between you and are dragging the board behind you when she rears her head back casually and hocks a loogie onto the floor between your feet
“HA! You missed!”
>Not a second later you feel the board catch right on the sticky spit she horked up
>”Well well, looks to me like you don’t have a plank to stand on! Hahahahaha~! Now come here and give up like a good little boy, and I promise I won’t be too rough with you~”
>Faster than you can react, she unfurls her lime-colored wings and swoops in just behind you, brushing your tail with her feathers
>”Give up, little dragon. Sink into the peaceful oblivion my Stand provides, or I’ll make you forget everything by force!”
>There’s a dark desire behind those words, something that makes your scales tingle in a bad way
>But you can’t give up here! Even if she’s outsmarting you now, there’s still at least one option left open to you!
>You were hoping to avoid this, but there doesn’t seem to be any choice left!
“Even if it means I’ll forget everything, I have to protect them! I have to protect Twilight and Anon!”
>”Protect them? They’ve already fallen victim to my ability! You can’t protect anyone, least of all yourself! May as well take the name Dragon Quixote! HAHAHAHAHAHA-!”
>Faster than she can react, you shove one of ｢Dragonforce｣’s tentacles down her throat, connecting the other to the notebook you left around the corner!
>It’s now or never!
>You focus your mind on your Stand and switch something, and even as the pulses travel through it the silvery tendrils begin to break apart!
>She’s extremely angry, you can see it on her face, but it doesn’t matter now!
>The pulses of light meet in the middle and you feel her-
>STANDFORESTBREEZEHATEYOUAUTUMNTESTNOTEBOOKBINDINGTESTTHEM-
>Whoa
>Even though the tentacle in her mouth is crumbling away, even though you’re starting to forget what you’re doing here, you see a light moving through the air, suspended on nothing
>It’s so pretty
>It slides down her throat
>Sunny Skies collapses, hacking and coughing like she just swallowed sawdust
>You’ve done that before, you think, but that’s not important right now
>You need to… you need to do something very important, but you can’t remember what it was
>Something about the gasping pegasus in front of you seems familiar, but you can’t bring yourself to feel bad for her
>Liquid erupts out of a notebook behind you, nasty and sticky like fake movie slime
>And then something long and shiny erupts from your chest and vanishes, and it all comes back to you!
>Whoa, that was close!
>You probably got the spit out of your Stand just in time to keep you from forgetting!
“ANON!”
>Whirling around, you spot Anon still standing at the top of the stairs, eyes staring ahead at nothing
>You’ve gotta help him!
“Rrrgh, what the heck am I supposed to do? If I do the same thing again her Stand might actually get me this time!”
>After a little thinking, you make your choice
“I’ve gotta try! If I can help Anon now, he might be able to help me later if I forget. Then I’ll at least be protecting somebody…”
>You walk up to Anon and rip another page out of the notebook
>Holding onto it tightly, you will ｢Dragonforce｣ out of your chest, placing one end on the paper and holding the other tendril over the spit dripping off of Anon’s hand
“It’s now or never. Here I go!”
>As quickly as you can, you slap the tentacle on Anon’s wet hand and switch “hydration” between the two ends
>As your Stand begins to crumble again the ball of light flows away from Anon’s hand, taking with it the spit and sweat from his skin, and the dryness of the paper flows into it
>His skin cracks slightly, and you feel your train of thought slipping away into the back of your mind
>Before you lose it completely, you scratch a little message into the floor for Anon to find when he gets better
>There’s something stuck to part of you, but… you’re not sure which part it is
>Eh, probably doesn’t matter right now, you’ll just sit here and think until you remember

>The first thing you hear is an absolutely disgusting wheezing and hacking behind you, and the second thing is a slight humming coming from the little dragon sitting down next to you
>Stretching slightly, you try to turn towards him and find that you cannot
>What were you even-
“Son of a bitch.”
>Christmas bitch got you with her Stand, didn’t she
>The next thing you find is that Spike’s eyes are glassy, his claws unmoving, and the ends of ｢Dragonforce｣ are crumbling away as you watch
>Scratched furiously into the floor at his feet is the word “spit.”
>Enraged and concerned, you take off your shoes and pants which are covered in ｢Tuesday Heartbreak｣’s spit, and stomp toward Sunny Skies, summoning your own Stand
>She’s barely moving, rendered immobile by… something
>As you draw near, the pegasus begins scrabbling madly around on the floor and screaming at you in a voice as hoarse and scratchy as sandpaper
>”Shit! You weren’t supposed to beat me! I was supposed to win, me! You little bastards are gonna pay for this!”
>You lean down and interrogate her, cold fury lacing every word you spit out
“How do I free Spike and Twilight from your ability?”
>｢Planisphère｣ looms overhead, needle ready and waiting
“Give me the answers I want, or I’ll make you sneeze over and over until you die of oxygen deprivation. I don’t fuck around when my friends’ safety is on the line.”
>The green pegasus sneers at you, saying nothing
“Have it your way.”
>The needle enters through the base of her wing
>”AH! Ha…haaaaCHUGHHHHH!”
>Instead of a normal sneeze you hear the air harshly rush through her throat and mouth on its way out
>She must be dehydrated or sick or something, and this must hurt a hell of a lot for her
>As Sunny Skies hacks and coughs and writes on the floor, you prepare another needle
“I’ll shoot you as many times as I need to until you cough up the information I want, and from the sound of it these sneezes hurt you a lot more than any regular sneeze would. So stay silent, I can keep this up all day.”
>As she remains quiet your fury mounts, and you launch a second needle, and a third, and a fourth, and one after another as rapidly as you can
>Only the first one impacts though, the others just sort of vanish before they reach her
>Is this another effect of her Stand? Or is it one of ｢Planisphère｣’s limitations?
>Curious, you wait for her to stop coughing before firing another needle into her flank
>It vanishes when you immediately produce a new one, though she still sneezes harshly
>Can you only produce one needle at a time? That’s a hell of an annoying hindrance, but at least you can fare well in one-on-one fights
>When she finishes cough-choking you lean in again, newfound information memorized, and repeat yourself
“How do I free my friends from your Stand? Tell me now or else.”
>She finally relents, head dropping onto the floor as she glances away from you in shame
>”…My Stand has a range of thirty meters.”
>That’s all the info you need, but you still have one more question
“Why is Spike still affected by your Stand? The spit should have gone out the other end of his Stand and not affected him.”
>”…Best guess is that some of it is still inside him. Now f-fuck off.”
“That answer made no sense at all, but sure.”
Scooping Spike into your arms, you rush to the top of the stairs and launch a few more needles at the writhing pegasus until she’s a hacking, coughing mess
>Emerging into the main room, you take note of Twilight’s slumped body
>She’s covered in quite a bit of the sticky substance and bears the same thousand-yard stare Spike does, but her cutie mark has just about vanished
>Shit, you better do this fast!
>You fly out of the library as quickly as you can and take off down the street, which is very empty this morning
>Barely a third of the way to your house the little dragon seems to snap out of it, looking around in confusion
>”Huh? Anon, where am I? I had the strangest… Her Stand got me, didn’t it?”
“‘Fraid so little dude. But now that you remember, you should be able to use your Stand, right?”
>｢Dragonforce｣ stretches out of his back, answering your question
>”Yep! I’m as good as new, so let’s go save Twilight! But uh, why aren’t you wearing pants?”
>Blushing slightly, you set Spike down and take off for the treebrary
“Long story, tell you later.”
>In no time at all the pair of you arrive in the front room, where Twilight is still slumped over on the floor
>Spike’s head fins droop at the sight
>”She’s gonna be okay, right?”
“She will be once you help her out, but we’ve gotta work fast! I’ll work on getting rid of the spit while you check on Sunny Skies!”
>The little dragon shakes his head
>”No! I’m the one who saved you from her Stand! That’s why I was affected by it. I can do it again if I have to, so you go check on her, I got this!”
>Shocked by his sudden change in behavior, you can’t help but nod
>He’s changed a heck of a lot in just a day; his Stand must be doing his self esteem a world of good
>You hurry to the basement door and slam it open, eyes sweeping the room for the pegasus who’s ruined your day
>In the time you were gone, she’s managed to struggle over to the base of the steps
>”Oh boy, look what the cat dragged in.”
“Some trash, which is what you are.”
>｢Planisphère｣ appears for a quick fist bump and fires a needle at her head as you turn to leave, but she gets just enough spit out to slam it down onto the stone floor
>Shit, that’s bad news
>She must’ve been holding that spit for a very long time, but if she’s got more in there…
>”That’s right, I’ve still got some ammo left, and you can’t-“
>She barely has time to react as you launch another needle at her, just barely covering it with enough spit to force it down
“I should’ve just shot you over and over when we first met. Would’ve saved all four of us a lot of trouble. Now hold still, I’m going to dehydrate you again.”
>Needle after sneeze-inducing needle finds its way towards her, each met by just enough spit to neutralize it, until she runs out
>As the first needle impacts her forehead, she winds up for a huge sneeze and you hit her with three more
>Satisfied that she’ll be distracted for a little bit, you reemerge into the library to the sight of Spike sitting dazed once more next to a completely clean Twilight Sparkle
>She’s just beginning to stir from her forgetful state, but you can see that her cutie mark is slowly reappearing on her flank
“Thank fuckin’ god. Now to take you far enough away from here, little buddy…”
>Again you scoop Spike into your arms, cradling him like a baby, and rapidly exit the library

>When you return, purple dragon in tow, Twilight has regained enough of her strength to try to stand up, prompting Spike to support her
>”I gotcha Twilight, c’mere.”
>He begins shuffling her over to the basement stairs, and you walk ahead to open the door only to be greeted by the sight of a struggling Sunny Skies
>”H-haha. Got you right where I w-want you.”
“Au contrairiwise.”
>You shoot her in the nose and pick her up from behind while she sneezes, slinging her over your shoulder with your good hand as you walk back into the basement
>｢Planisphère｣ trails behind you, occasionally shooting her to keep her from attacking
>As you set her down on the floor near the crates, her sneezing and coughing fits finally subside, and Spike helps Twilight sit down nearby
>Spike patters over to her collapsed form and takes a long look at her before picking up a nearby hunk of the stone that was cracked off of the floor
>”Why did you attack us? Why did you hurt my friends!?”
>He holds the stone in his Stand, with the other tentacle on one of the heavy crates nearby
>”Tell me! Or else I’ll switch the “weight” of this stone with the huge crate over there and drop it on your head!”
>Holy shit, is he bluffing?
>Twilight gapes at him in horror while Sunny Skies pales as she looks into his eyes
>You can’t see ‘em, but you imagine they’re burning with anger
>Before you make to step in and stop him from killing her, she blurts something out
>”T-test! It was a test! I was supposed to test your power, and I guess it went well. I’m still pissed you assholes beat me though.”
>”You think a test is some sort of life or death challenge!? Are you nuts!? Who put you up to this? Spit it out!”
>He’s genuinely enraged right now, you’ve gotta step in before he does something he’ll regret
“Spike, I’ve got this. Go make sure Twilight’s okay.”
>The dragon looks up at you, betrayal clear on his face
>”But-“
“No buts. Go help Twilight. Please.”
>”…Fine.”
>He stomps away, and you take his place in front of the pegasus
“Answer the kid’s questions, s’il vous plaît. Or else it’s back to the needles.”
>For the second time, Sunny Skies goes limp in shame, and opens her mouth. You step back to avoid any spit, but to your surprise she begins to speak
>”I needed to test your Stand powers. Why, I’m not sure, I was never told. As for who put me up to this, I’m part of a group called Eight Days A Week. Our goals are… I’m not allowed to tell you. They’d kill me. But I was asked to pass on a message whether I lost or won against you, so here it is.”
>She clears her throat, trying to gather moisture in her mouth
>”If the remaining five of your group who lack Stands do not acquire them soon, my compatriots will destroy you.”
>You exchange shocked glances with Twilight and Spike
>”Obtain Stands using the Arrow, learn of their capabilities, and test them against our agents in battle. If we deem you worthy, we will inform you of our true goals. Do not ignore this warning. Each of the eight of you must wield a Stand by the end of the week, starting from yesterday. Good luck.”
>Sunny Skies pauses to take a breath and compose herself
>”Do it, finish me like you finished Blade Dancer yesterday.”
>So your assailant from yesterday was also a part of this group, but…
“Why was Blade Dancer part of your group if she didn’t have a Stand? She was talking some shit about “the old gods” and “chaos bringer” and crap like that.”
>The green pegasus chuckles
>”Heh, she was always overdramatic like that. Liked to build things up into some weird fantasy she was constantly developing. Nothing to worry about. But she had the most powerful Stand of us all.”
>Good thing she’s dead, though that raises the question of why she never used it
>You’re tempted to fulfill the pegasus’ request, but Twilight speaks up for the first time since she was attacked
>”We need more information. Tell us more about this group.”
>”No can do. I’ve given you all the info I’m allowed to. Any more and they’d kill me on the spot if they found me. You’ve gotta finish me off here and now. Knock me out or kill me, doesn’t matter. I’ve completed the mission.”
“Didn’t you just say you’re afraid of them killing you?”
>”Yeah, but it’s different if you do it. C’mon. Just knock me out.”
>”Anon, we can’t. We need to know more about this-“
>Suddenly, Sunny Skies glows the same brilliant white that Blade Dancer did yesterday, and just when you think you’re going to go blind the light bursts apart and fills the basement with warmth
>Sunny Skies is nowhere to be seen
>What the hell, you didn’t even hit her!
>It’s just like yesterday. Is this how it’s gonna be for the rest of the week?
>Exhausted, you flop down onto the now warm stone floor with Spike and Twilight, and try to relax
>”Guys, I think we need to talk to the rest of our friends about this.”
>”Good idea, Spike. I should get around to sending that letter to Celestia too.”
“I think we need to sit down, just the three of us, and have a nice chat real quick.”


“So we know that there’s a group of Stand users keeping tabs on us, that the one who attacked me yesterday was one of them, and that they’ve issued a threat against us. We need for the rest of the elements of harmony to get Stands ‘or else,’ according to Sunny Skies. With that info in mind, what should we do now besides call everyone in for a meeting?”
>”We write the princess a letter. I think that’d be a good place to start. Maybe give everypony Stands one by one later.”
>”Good idea Twilight, I’ll grab a quill and some paper.”
>”Thank you, Spike. Now, we need to give everyone Stands, but what will we do if they decline? I can’t imagine Fluttershy or Rarity are gonna want to get stabbed by a rusty old Arrow after they saw what it did to Applejack and Spike.”
“Good point. We’ll have to find some way to convince them later. Suppose some of our friends don’t get Stands at all, what then? Are the rest of us gonna have to jump in and cover for them?”
>Twi cocks her head to the side, considering the situation
>Spike returns with his writing implements, and glances expectantly at the both of you
>”Well Twi looks like she’s thinking pretty hard, so how about you dictate Anon?”
“Oh, sure. Dear Princess Celestia, it’s been a hell of a couple days. Yesterday I was assaulted by a knife-throwing unicorn and Applejack and Spike got Stands from the Arrow. Today Twilight, Spike, and I fought with a particularly punny pegasus who almost made us forget everything about ourselves. Then she revealed that she was part of a group called Eight Days A Week and threatened the Elements of Harmony with death unless they all got Stands of their own. We were going to call everyone to the library and discuss the situation with them, maybe give them Stands one by one. If you could help us out with this whole thing I’m sure everyone would be really grateful. P.S. Sorry for making you cry. Come by and visit soon, okay?
Your favorite human, Anon.”
>Spike gives you a disbelieving look
>”You made princess Celestia cry? What the heck did you do?”
>You sheepishly rub the back of your head
“After Celestia stabbed me with the Arrow I passed out for three days and lost most of my blood. She thought I wasn’t gonna recover and I think she felt really guilty about it, so when she came to see me before I got released from the hospital wing she just started crying and ran off.”
>The purple dragon slumps forward in sadness, deflating a little after your story
>”Dang Anon, I’m sorry to hear that. Must’ve been hard to watch.”
>Sighing, you agree
“Yeah, it made me feel like garbage for something I didn’t even do. Uh, didja finish that letter?”
>”Hm? Yeah, it’s ready to go. Lemme send it.”
>Spike scampers up the basement stairs and out the door, followed by a rush of noise and light, and then he comes running back down towards you
>"Alright, it's been sent. So what's the verdict Twilight? Are we gonna give everyone Stands?"
>"...Yeah. I can't see any other way out of this situation. We have no clue how many more agents this group has besides the ones they're sending at us this week and I'd rather not spend the rest of my life fighting against an enemy I barely know or understand, not to mention the danger we'll all be in until this situation is dealt with. I don't want any of us, especially you Spike, to be at risk for any longer than we have to be."
>"So wouldja like me to round 'em up? I can go find 'em all around town."
>The purple pony nods gratefully
>"Yes, please do. I'll set things up over here for everypony when they can get here. Just tell them we're convening around 5 or 6 and that it's urgent, okay?"
>Your dragon buddy salutes her
>"Will do, Twilight!"
>"Haha, good. Anon, can you accompany him? I'm a little concerned about Spike being out on his own now."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'll head out with him, see about rounding the girls up for later. See you in a bit, Twi."
>"See you."
>With that, you and your dragon companion (although you're really his companion right now) head out of the library and set off for Sugar Cube Corner
>As you enter, you are accosted by the shrill tones of everyone's favorite party animal
>"SPIKE! ANON! HOW'S IT GOING!?"
"Howdy Panko."
>"Heya Pinkie! Twilight's trying to get the group together around 5 or 6 tonight at her place, does that work for you?"
>"Heck YEAH it does! Tell her I'll be there at 5, okay? You guys getting anything?"
>After the morning's events you're anything but hungry, and now you start scanning the various customers at the eatery
>Some of them focus on your cast-clad right hand, but none of them seem suspicious
>"Nah, I'm good. Anon, you want something?"
"Hm? Nope. Thanks though Pinkie. C'mon dude, let's go find Rarity."
>"Haha, yeah..."
>"See you guys later!"
>The two of you bid farewell to Pinkie and head towards Carousel Boutique

>"Um, Anon? Can we maybe go here last? I, uh..."
"Getting nervous, huh? Okay, I guess we can head to Fluttershy's place or Sweet Apple Acres next. Where do you wanna go dude?"
>"How about Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Sure, lead the way man."
>As he takes the lead you see him wipe his brow with the back of a scaly arm

>As the two of you approach AJ's farm, you notice that the usual workload has only been half accomplished for this point in the day
>Guess she's serious about taking the day off
>"Hey Anon, I don't see AJ anywhere. D'you think she's in the house?"
"Probably. She sent me a letter giving me the week off for my hand to heal and said she'd be taking the day off to mess around with her Stand. She could be in the barn, actually."
>"Great! Let's check there first."
>His enthusiasm gets a little smile out of you as the two of you make for the barn
>As you predicted, Applejack is inside, tossing ropes and various things through ｢Rawhide｣'s area of effect
>"Howdy fellas! Ah thought Ah told ya it's yer day off, Anon!"
"Yeah well something's come up."
"Twilight's trying to gather the eight of us for a little group meeting later tonight around 5 or 6 and it's got to do with Stands. Can you make it?"
>At the mention of Stands her face hardens a little
>"What's brought this on Anon?"
>Glancing at Spike, you decide to keep it short
"I can't tell you here. We'll explain more when we meet up tonight. Do some more training with ｢Rawhide｣, just in case."
>"Yer kinda freakin' me out here, pardner. Ah can make it, but the way yer talkin' bout it kinda makes me not want to."
>"C'mon Applejack, it's really important! You have to come! Please?"
>Spike gives her his best puppy-dog eyes and your orange friend quickly relents
>"Arright fine, I'll be there. But we better not get attacked or nothin' you hear me?"
"Loud and clear AJ. See you later."
>With that, you and Spike bid her farewell and walk off to Fluttershy's house

>It’s nearly evening and the girls, you, and Spike all sit in a circle around the table in the basement
>The Arrow sits in its jar nearby
>Everyone is wide-eyed at the news of what occurred earlier today in the library, and they all look at you and Spike with incredulity and shock
>”I absolutely cannot believe this. We have to… to mutilate ourselves for some sort of vague superpowers or they’ll kill us? I won’t have it.”
>”Rarity, I don’t think they’re gonna give us a choice! I mean, we should totally preempt ‘em and get Stands all at once, then beat ‘em down as a group!”
>”Um, that might be a good idea, but I’m still not sure I want to do this.”
>”C’mon Flutters, it’ll be fun! Then I can throw us all a group “congratulations on getting a Stand” party! Oh! Speaking of which, I never threw you three a party for getting your Stands, did I?”
>”Everypony listen!”
>At the sound of her voice, everyone at the table stops conversing and turns to face Twilight
>”I think we need to heed their warning. Anon, Spike, and Applejack already have Stands, and two of those three have been targeted so far. Applejack will likely be next on their hit list, and after that they might move onto those of us who lack Stands completely! I want us to be prepared in the event that this actually happens, so anypony who doesn’t want a Stand speak up now.”
>Rarity scooches her chair back from the table and rises to her hooves, a hard look in her eyes
>”I absolutely refuse to give in to their barbaric demands, and I’ll have none of this self-mutilation business. Nothing would ever make taking that action worth it. If you wish to speak to me from now on, speak nothing of Stands or our impending fates, because I will fight with all my might against our future without compromising who I am. If that’s all then I’m going to leave.”
>As the dressmaker starts towards the stairs Fluttershy stands up as well, moisture in her eyes
>”I… I’m just not sure I can subject myself to that. It’s a bit much for me to do to myself. L-like Rarity said, I’ll stand by you all when the time comes, but I just…I just…”
>Without another word the pegasus rushes towards the stairs, where she is comforted by Rarity on their way out
>The rest of you just sit in silence, processing in shock when Twilight speaks up
>”Did that just happen? Did that really just happen!? Rarity and Fluttershy just walked out on what could be more beneficial to their health than anything we did to deal with Discord or the Changelings! What the f-buck!”
>In anger, the purple horse slams her head onto the table, rattling the Arrow’s jar
>Even Pinkie isn’t perking up now, so you decide to take charge
>If Rarity and Fluttershy want to abandon you, so be it
>You’re going to give them your help whether they want it or not
“…We’ll deal with them later. For now we need to focus on the rest of the group and that is Pinkie, Twilight, and Dash. Will the three of you obtain Stands to face off against the agents of Eight Days A Week?”
>Rainbow bristles, exploding out of her seat and landing on the table directly in front of your face
>”What the hell Anon!? Two of our friends just walked out and you’re already throwing them to the side? What’s wrong with you?!”
“Dash, I’m not tossing them aside like garbage! I’m just saying that priority one should be getting as many of the rest of us Stands as possible, that way we can stall for time while we try to convince Rarity and ‘Shy to get their own. The more of us have Stands, the likelier the chance that the enemy will target us instead of those two.”
>Twilight raises her head from the table with sharp and refocused eyes
>”That’s some pretty good logic, Anon. Best way to keep Rarity and Fluttershy safe is to get all of us Stands as soon as possible.”
>The irritated pegasus settles down after hearing Twilight’s acceptance of your idea, ruffling her wings as she sits back in her seat
“Well, at least I’m thinking clearly, since I’m pretty pissed at Rarity right now.”
>Spike glances up at you with worry and irritation mingled on his face
>”Why?”
“Cuz she’s heard firsthand about the battles we’ve had with them so far and refuses to come to both our defense and her own, even though she knows the stakes! Fluttershy I can kind of forgive since that just how she is but dammit-“
>”Language.”
>Thanks for the reminder, Twi
“… Rarity should know better. She didn’t even give a good reason besides ‘I don’t wanna cut myself for awesome superpowers to help you guys.’ Would any of you know anything about that?”
>Everyone present shakes their heads, and Pinkie puts a hoof to her chin
>”Fluttershy seems to be pretty close to her, maybe she’d know the exact reason. I’m sure we can get it out of her if we just try hard enough!”
>”Ah’d like to be of help right now, but I can’t take any other days off this week. If somethin’ happens to me tomorrow I’ll do mah best to let you all know as soon as Ah can, but there’s no guarantees. Ah’m not afraid to admit that Ah’m mighty nervous about the whole thing.”
“Hey yeah, those guys’re most likely gonna target AJ tomorrow. Can we spare someone to help her out? I could totally assist with-“
>”Nope.”
“Wh-excuse me?”
>AJ turns to you with a stern look on her face
>”Anon yer injured, and Ah’m sure today wasn’t good for your hand whatsoever. Spike is a kid, and even though it’s clear he wants to help, I’d feel more uncomfortable ’n a filly walkin’ in on her parents in bed if Ah asked fer him to fight with me.”
>What the fuck!
>You can help her without hurting yourself further!
“AJ-!”
>”Ah said no, pardner. Ah won’t risk yer well being and Ah won’t need help tomorrow, unless one of our three fresh faces wants to step up?”
>She looks over at Dash and Pinkie with a raised brow
>”Y’know, I’m gonna help you out AJ! Arrow me Twilight!”
>Whoa, she’s going all in!
>”Are you sure Dash? Right now?”
>Rainbow nods so vigorously you forget to be angry
>”Yeah, right now! The sooner I get this power the sooner I can get good at using it and the sooner I can help everypony! Arrow me!”
>Hesitantly the purple horse pulls the Arrow from its container and walks with it to Dash
>”Last chance to back out. We both know what getting cut by this thing looks like, and there’s no way it feels better than it looks. Now hop up on the table.”
>Rainbow’s response is a full-of-herself smirk that threatens to power your electronics for a year, so strong is its smugness
>And then she sits on the table
>”Nah, I’m ready to take the battle to them. Eight Days A Week watch out, cause there’s a new Stand user in town! Hit me!”
>Twilight positions the Arrow carefully-
>”Here we go.”
>-then jams it straight into the pegasus’ thigh, right below her cutie mark!
>Dash sits stock still for a moment, and then-
>”AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEE!”
“DASH!”
>”DASHIE!”
>”RAINBOW!”
>”OH MAN!”
>Just as quickly as she inserted it, Twilight removes the Arrow from Rainbow’s leg then levitates her up onto the table and teleports in some suturing equipment
>Dash blacks out, chest rising and falling with the conserved breathing patterns of the unconscious
>The five of you watch as Twilight disinfects the needle and removes the sutures from their sealed package, then gets to work on Rainbow’s injury
“Is she gonna be okay Twi?”
>”She’ll be fine, I’m good with my magic if not with my hooves, so don’t worry.”
>The rest of you relax and the atmosphere in the basement lightens considerably
>As Twilight works on Dash, she talks to the group
>”AJ, how has your injury been?”
>”Well it ain’t too itchy or nothin’. A bit annoying, but nothin’ I couldn’t handle today. What Ah’m more interested in is how Spike ’n Anon are doin’.”
>”I’m doing okay Applejack. In fact I totally forgot I had stitches in the first place!”
>He grimaces as he pulls his stitches by opening his mouth too wide
“I’m alright as well. Hand isn’t even bugging me or anything, I just can’t use it. Speaking of which, aren’t you supposed to look me over today Twi?”
>The librarian finishes dabbing the wound with more disinfectant and starts using some sort of healing magic to stop the bleeding
>”I’ll check on you when I’m done fixing up Dash. Give me just a minute.”

>Be floating in the expanse of dreams, so you’re probably Rainbow Dash
>A storm of scarabs is crawling out of your leg wound and flying off into the distance in a chitinous stream
>It’d freak you out but this is probably just a dream, so it’s nothing to worry about
>It hurts a little though
>A massive emerald bug perched on a giant arrowhead rises from the nothing below you and looks you over with its glassy eyes, antennae twitching every now and then
>In its shell you can see reflections of the Arrow, your house, Ponyville, and all of your friends
>It’s all pretty darn awesome if you’re telling the truth, even though it’s also a little freaky
>After a while of just staring the giant bug in the eyes it disappears, and you drift in the void of unconsciousness

>”So you’re looking pretty good, all things considered. Both of you come back tomorrow afternoon for another dose of healing magic and that should be just fine by the end of the week. Same goes for you Spike.”
“Wow, thanks Twi. You’re amazing.”
>”Thanks a bunch Twilight!”
>”Much obliged Twi.”
“Y’know AJ, you were right, I might just get hurt more the way I am now. I’m sorry I can’t help you out tomorrow.”
>”Ah, it’s all fine Anon. That’s why Ah gave ya the week off, so you could recover. Besides, Ah’ll probly see ya tomorrow night or something. We might as well just keep meeting up like this every evening.”
>”nnnnhh…”
“Oh man, she’s waking up!”
>Everyone stops making conversation and rushes over to Rainbow’s side
>”Dashie, can you hear us?”
>”Mmmm… What time is it?”
>You sneak a peek at your watch
“It’s 6:18. You’ve been out for about an hour. You feeling okay Dash?”
>”Mmmmokay. Could be way worse you know. The cut stings a bit but it’s okay… cause I can’t let something small like that stop me from being awesome!”
>She stretches a little and sits up, cringing at the pull of the stitches
>AJ gives you and Spike pointed glances and motions over to Rainbow with her chin
“Oh right, c’mere Spike.”
>The little dragon scampers up to your side, facing her
“Stands out!”
>｢Dragonforce｣ and ｢Planisphère｣ burst into existence behind you, shimmering and shining in the basement light
>”WHOA! THAT’S what they look like! AAAAWWESOME!”
“Hell yeah Dash, and that means…”
>It takes her a second to get the hint
>”AWWW YEAH! I’ve been thinking about this thing’s name all day! ｢M1A1｣!”
>Behind her, a shiny onyx equine shape begins to take form, slowly fading into reality like a bad 1980’s tv effect
>Looking distinctly PS1- era polygonal, it stands nearly as tall as you on its hind legs, with ivory filigree on its legs and arms in the shape of wings
>Its mane and tail are ethereal, shining like the rainbows that make up Dash’s own hair, and fluttering in a much more violent breeze than the Princess’ manes
>Two triangular metallic poles extend from its shoulder blades, each emitting rainbow-colored wings made of light
>The center of its chest is emblazoned with a crest almost identical to her cutie mark, but the cloud has speed lines running through it, ending in a loop de loop that you think is supposed to represent wind
“Dang, that’s cool as fuck.”
>”LANGUAGE!”
>”Oh man…”
>”Now that is certainly somethin’.”
>”WHOA! NOW THAT’S BADASS! Check me out, Twil- oh yeah, oops.”
>She at least has the presence of mind to look sheepish
>”I’ll be able to see them soon, Rainbow, but not tonight. Just you wait. Now then, we’ve managed to extend their hit list by one and add a new Stand user to our ranks, which means that Rarity and Fluttershy will be safe for longer. Sorry for being brusque, I’m very tired after this morning and all the healing I just did, so I think I’ll pack it in early.”
>”Awww, but I wanted my own Stando!”
>Twilight huffs
>”Sorry Pinkie but I’m tapped out for tonight, and unless Dash’s Stand can heal stuff like that I don’t think we’ll be able to make it work.”
>”I have an idea!”
>Everyone turns to face Spike
>”Um, maybe I could use ｢Dragonforce｣ to switch the wound with the ground or something? Just a thought, I mean it might not work at all so yeah…”
>He trails off awkwardly while Pinkie taps her hoof to her chin, deep in thought
>”No, enough’s enough Spike. No more Stand bequeathing or whatever you call it. Dash, go practice with your Stand for tomorrow, then show up at Sweet Apple Acres some time before noon, please?”
>The little dragon throws up his hands, exasperated
>”Aw come on Twilight! I can help Pinkie out right now and you’re saying no for no good reason! It might totally work!”
>Twilight’s irritated expression becomes a full-on scowl, projecting a bad atmosphere across the room
>“Spike I SAID-“
>The unicorn cuts herself off and takes several deep breaths, relaxing more and more with each one
>”Spike, we don’t know if it will work and I don’t want you to get hurt, especially not after this morning. I… you could have died.”
>She mumbles the last part, but all 5 of you pick up on it
>Spike flinches at the pain in her voice, as do the rest of you
>”You could have died and I wouldn’t even have known it. You could’ve lost your memories permanently and forgotten me, forgotten all of us. If you weren’t able to rescue Anon from that pegasus’ Stand, we would’ve… would’ve-“
>Her sudden sobs catch you all off guard
>Twilight’s breath hitches as she begins to cry and she turns away from you, hiding her face behind her mane
>”T-Twilight…”
>Her little dragon jumps up out of his seat and runs over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and crying into her mane
>It hits you suddenly that what Applejack said earlier was exactly right: Spike is just a child, and it isn’t right that he has to fight these battles
>Bile rises high in your throat. You can’t make him fight with you, what the hell were you thinking?!
>He’s just a kid! He ought to be able to grow and have fun like kids do, not get tied down in all of this dangerous bullshit!
“Oh god…”
>Applejack turns to glance at you
>”Somethin’ wrong, Sugarcube?”
>There’s something wet on your face
“I-I should’ve… The r-roof is leaking, AJ.”
>She casts a glance roof-ward
>”Ah can’t see anything comin’ down from there.”
>Then she really takes a closer look at you
>”Anon…”
>Applejack wraps her hoof around your shoulders, pulling you in for a hug
>You wrap your hands around her like she’s the only piece of land in a churning sea, and cry out your fear into her shoulder
>As Twilight and Spike continue crying, Dash heads towards you while Pinkie approaches the other two
>”Anon, are you gonna be okay?”
>She’s uncharacteristically quiet
>…You have to make up for this
“I’ll be okay in a minute. I j-just need to say something to Spike first.”
>After a few minutes and everyone’s all cried out, you’re all sitting back around the table, though Spike is right next to Twilight and you’re leaning against Applejack
“…Spike?”
>He pushes himself up in his seat a little more and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand
>”Y-yeah Anon?”
“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to be a part of this stuff, I mean you’re just a kid! Kids should be able to have fun and enjoy their childhoods and-“
>”Stop!”
>He climbs up onto the table and walks over to you, staring you in the eyes
>”Anon, I’ve lived through the returns of Nightmare Moon and Discord, and the Changeling attack in Canterlot. I’ve been in dangerous situations before and that’s never stopped me from trying to help my friends no matter what, so if you think you can use the old “you’re just a kid” excuse on me then think again! I’m gonna help you guys out no matter what you say, and yeah I almost died but all of us have come close to that point somewhere along the line, and we’re just fine now! Twilight, Anon, Applejack, I appreciate you being worried about me, and I’m pretty worried myself, but I’m not gonna stop fighting. These guys are way different from anything we’ve faced before but so what? You’re the Elements of Harmony, you can do anything! And Anon and I are pretty tough in our own ways, just look at what happened this morning! So no more worrying about what might happen to us, because we’ve got to worry about what’ll happen to Rarity and Fluttershy. Alright? We’ve all gotta battle them if we want our whole group to walk away from this unharmed.”
>All of you stare at him, mouths gaping as you try to process what the hell he just said
>”So you’re going to continue to fight? Even though we’re saying you shouldn’t have to?”
>He turns to face his “mom”
>”Yeah, because as soon as I got ｢Dragonforce｣ I was a part of this fight. It’s like Anon said, Stand users attract other Stand users and that means that we’re gonna have to fight whether we want to or not.”
>Everyone takes an uncomfortable collective breath
>…
>You let the air out, slumping in your seat
>As the others follow suit, you try to accept the fact that you’re essentially going into battle with a forcefully conscripted child soldier
“…Alright. It’s settled then. We need to get more Stands on our side to deal with these guys, and every one of us that has one is gonna battle against them. Don’t think I won’t try to protect you though, little man.”
>”Me either.”
>Twilight hugs him closely, and he smiles at both of you, then leans back in his seat and closes his eyes
>Purple pone sags in her seat along with AJ and Pinkie sinking into theirs
>You take a second to close your eyes and cradle your head in your hands
>There’s no easy way out of this situation
>Everyone in this room plus the two who fled earlier must fight to the bitter end, even Spike
>As uncomfortable and terrifying as your life has become recently, you realize that you’ve got everyone else to lean on
“You know, Spike’s right. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”
>Every pair of eyes in the room locks onto you
“It’s like he said, we can do anything. The six of you are the Elements of Harmony, and Spike and I are pretty dang tough and resourceful, so I think that as long as we’re stick together at the end of the day we’ll be able to help each other through whatever comes our way.”
>Sick rhymes bro
>The mood lightens up a little and the group seems to be filled with confidence, though you’re just filled with exhaustion
>It’s been a long day and you need your beauty rest, and from the look of things on the other side of the table so do Spike and Twilight
>You pointedly peer at the purple pone and jerk your head towards the stairs, raising an eyebrow
>She nods and scooches her chair back from the table, and Spike follows suit
>”Alright everypony, we’ve learned a lot today and put in some good work, but I need to recuperate and so do Spike and Anon. Dash, try and figure out what your Stand does before tomorrow, okay? Applejack… good luck. See you all tomorrow night, if you’re up for that.”
>Everyone mumbles assent, and Twilight smiles a little wider
>With a tip of her hat Applejack rises from her chair
>”Much obliged, Twi. See y’all later, and Ah’ll see you bright ’n early tomorrow morning.”
>She punctuates her statement with a hoof aimed at Dash, who immediately flops onto the table and sighs heavily
>”Fiiiiine. See you tomorrow morning I guess.”
>She speeds out of the basement, ｢M1A1｣ drawing a second rainbow trail through the air beside her
>The rest of you file out of the basement and Spike gives you a fist bump before he heads up to his room
>”Seeya tomorrow big man.”
>He yawns, which may just be the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen him do
“Night Spike, sleep tight.”
>As you exit the library the sight of Celestia’s sun setting greets your eyes
>It’s absolutely beautiful
>A nagging voice in the back of your whispers that you ought to enjoy it while you can, because you might not see the sun ever again before the week is done
>Applejack walking up dispels your negative musings
>”Are ya gonna be okay on your way home Anon? Need somepony to walk with on the way there?”
“Ah nah, I’ll be fine by myself AJ. If anything I’m worried for you and Rainbow, cause who knows what they’ll throw at you tomorrow. Be safe okay?”
>The farmer throws her head back and laughs a deep belly laugh
>”Anon, THEY’RE the ones who should be worried. We’ll kick their asses all the way back to wherever the heck they come from!”
>Her confidence is infectious
>As you walk along towards your place you find yourself grinning wide
“I’m sure you’re gonna kick the shit out of them, AJ. Good luck.”
>”Same to you Anon, get better soon!”
>You wave goodbye to her and enter your home, finish your nightly ritual of brush, undress, jerk it, and hit the bed early
>As you slip into the comforting grip of sleep, you wonder if you’ll ever actually triumph over this shadowy group

>Once again, be n̸o̸ ̶n̸a̶m̶e̶ ̶d̴e̷t̴e̸c̵t̵e̵d̷
>Things are progressing nicely
>Not only has he further developed his power, he’s managed to convince his friends to get Stands of their own
>All you really needed was him, the others were just a convenient addition
>Sunny Skies has delivered the proper incentive upon the Elements to gain power
>All you should have to do now is sit back and watch things unfold
>Your compatriot drifts into the room, melting into the shadows like liquid blackness
>”Is everything proceeding according to your predictions?”
>You allow yourself a rare chuckle as a reward for your hard work
“Yes. It’s all progressing as it should be. Our plans will at last come to fruition.”
>They remain stoic, not a hint of emotion showing
>”Very well. I do hope nothing’s changed for you since yesterday.”
“Only one small thing has, actually. For the first time in a very long while, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It will all be over very soon.”
>”I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Believe you me, Yesterday was nothing special, but Today was spectacular and Tomorrow is shaping up to be even better.”

Next time on Anon’s Stando Adventure:
>“Where’d it go!?”
>”Is that all you can do!?”
>”Thousand miles an hour.”
>“I’ll never let you hurt my friends!”
>“You had better not fail us.”
>“APPLEJACK!”