Kira Visits Horseland Episode 2: ???

>As you shuffle down the hill towards the ugly little village, Twilight and the girls catch up to you and begin barraging you with questions, each biting at your already fraying patience like a swarm of fleas on a dog
>”What’n the hay were those explosions?”
>”W-what happened to Double Diamond?”
>Shut up already
>”Why did Starlight call you Kira and say something about ‘the power of the soul,’ dear?”
>”What was with all that crazy sparkly stuff that appeared out of nowhere and flew out of the cave, Josuke?”
>Shut UP
>”Dude, are you alright?”
>Shut up shut UP SHUT UP SHUT UP JUST SHUT-
>”Just what in the name of Tartarus is going on here, Josuke?!”
>Incensed, you whirl around with fire in your eyes and for a split second your instincts to tear the group apart and flee grasp at the edges of your consciousness
>But before you can put [I Want It All] to use, the shocked and startled faces of the girls register in your mind, and your burning anger fades to a cautious flicker of uncomfortable self-awareness
>Your temper and desires almost took hold of you again, better reign it in and regain control of the situation
“I-I’m sorry. My nerves are frayed, my hopes are dashed, Starlight’s gotten away, and I’ve just lost everything I thought I’d found here. I’m in a bit of a bad mood, but it, ah, wasn’t fair to take that out on you all. Like I said earlier, let’s just head back to the train and I’ll explain myself when we’re en route back to Ponyville. I can tell you a few basic things about me on the way out of the village, but I want to sit down comfortably soon, so let’s go.”
>”Wait, what about the village? What are they going to do now that they’ve all got their cutie marks back?”
“…Why don’t we just ask them? Come on.”
>Confused and uncertain, the girls join you in trudging down the high hill from the mouth of the vault towards the creepy little village

>The ponies in town shy away from you, fear evident in their eyes
>Not hard to see why, since they all saw you make Double Diamond disappear
>So while you hang out in the alleyway, Twilight and her friends reassure and question the towns…ponies?
>Townsponies
>Yes, that’s a word now
>Now that you’re out of the public eye, you take a minute to reflect on your situation, and the anger inside you threatens to flare up again
>You’re in a bizarre and foreign land without [Killer Queen], which you just lost to some sort of magical bullshit reaction after Starlight stole its head and teleported away
>Now you’ve got no idea how to track it down or where it could have even gone, much less if someone will react to touching it like Starlight did
>If anyone else gets a hold of the shattered pieces of [Killer Queen] you can kiss your Stand goodbye forever, since they seem to bind to whatever touches them
>When you find her you’re going to kill her very, very dead
>Now might be a good time to go over what you’re going to tell the girls
>First and foremost is whether or not you’ll tell them who you really are
>Should you tell them your true name?
>Names may hold power in this magical world, after all
>But if you can continue to hide the truth, or tell them half-truths, then you’ll be in the clear
>Either way, lying like this can only go so far
>Should you reveal Yoshikage Kira to the world?
>Would your companions take that revelation lightly? Or would it blow up in your face?
>Either option could succeed or fail, so you’re going to have to trust your gut on that choice
>Next is the explanation of what happened to Double Diamond
>You’re not going to have fun with that, for sure
>[I Want It All] could be passed off as a Stand that makes things disappear instead of killing them, but even if they bought that lie it would only hold water for so long if you used your Stand in front of them again
>And on top of that, there’s no way they’ll just ignore Starlight’s ‘power of the soul’ remark
>You may very well have to tell them about Stands, and considering what you’re going to be doing when you’ve rested up and gotten your act together, it may be beneficial to do so now
>You have no idea how the pieces of your Stand will affect the ponies that touch them
>They could all be running around with varying levels of explosive powers right now
>Or they could detonate themselves by accident in some remote part of the woods where you’d never find the piece of your Stand and it would remain incomplete for the rest of your life and you’d never get revenge on Starlight or have peace of mind again or-
>No, you’ve got to give this some real thought
>What should you tell the girls?

>After a little deliberation and some resting up from your fatigue, you make some decisions about what to tell the girls
>Telling them about your real name now will head off any confrontations about you lying to the group in the future
>The ponies they’re talking to now have probably already told them that you killed Double Diamond, but they might have figured it out for themselves
>You’ll tell them regardless, and damn the consequences. You’ll spin it to help you no matter how they react
>The biggest issue will be telling them about Stands, since if they learn you’ve got one they might want Stands of their own, and you have no idea how that’s going to work
>Still, telling them everything now will at least ensure they’re prepared in the future if you do run into any Stand users on your quest, provided they don’t turn on you for lying or withholding information
>With those decisions in mind, your thoughts turn to Starlight once more, and the bile that rises in your throat threatens to choke you
>She’s going to fucking pay for what she’s done, you’ll make sure of it, and when you finally find her you’re going to enjoy wrapping your hands around her throat and watching the life drain from her body and SNAPPING HER STUPID NECK AND WATCHING HER-
>”Hey Josuke!”
>N-NANI?!
>Applejack sticks her head around the corner of the alley and motions in a way that you think is beckoning
“W-what?”
>”Uh, c’mere. We’re about done talkin’ to all those folks.”
>Thank goodness, you’ve had enough of this place
“Okay, good. Let’s get out of here.”
>You cautiously peek out of the alleyway for any nosy ponies and, finding none, power walk towards the edge of town
>Along the way the girls peel away from the ponies they’re talking to and group up with you again while the townsfolk give you all hostile glares
“I’m glad to be getting out of this freakish place. Let’s head back to Ponyville.”
>”Hang on a sec Josuke. Some of the townsponies were telling us that you maybe uh…”
>She glances nervously at Rainbow, who has just flown up behind you and is giving Applejack a very forceful look
>”Um, that can wait actually. They were telling us to maybe look through Starlight’s house for any clues on where she might have gone? What do you think?”
>The blue pegasus gives a deep groan and flies off to another part of town
>Though your body screams out for rest and your soul for contemplation, your anger pushes you towards Starlight’s house
>Perhaps there will indeed be some way to find her in there, or something that hints at her weaknesses
“Let’s go to Starlight’s house. We can search for clues to her location there, and maybe something that tells us how to defeat her.”
>”Okay, let’s go!”
>Twilight and Pinkie Pie opt to follow you to Starlight’s house, with the rest of the group waiting for you at the other end of the village
>Fine, if they don’t want to come with you then they can just stay there
>Without a care in the world for who may be watching, you detonate the door hinges and kick the door inwards
>It’s a lot more painful than those movies make it look, damnit
>”Josuke, you’re going to have to explain these explosions soon. Are they a special kind of magic?”
“Something like that, I’ll tell you later Twilight. I promise.”
>Stumbling from the agony in your ankle and knee causes you to fall with style into her front room
>It’s a little sparse honestly, just some paintings on the wall and a couple family pictures on the mantle, and the hideous cobblestone walls certainly aren’t helping anything
>It’s very plain compared to your own spacious home back in Japan, where you could spend your days in carefree peace in the comforting warmth of your study
>For just a second, homesickness and nostalgia threaten to overwhelm you, but you force them down
>There’s no time for weakness or sentiment, you need to find Starlight!
>Hold on to your anger
>Hold on to the sight of Jotaro’s stupid face and the even more stupid self-assured grin on Starlight’s face
>Let it drive you
>A raging warmth settles into your gut and seeps into your bones
>Breathe in, breathe out. Okay.
“Twilight, you check the front room. Pinkie, check through that door. I’ll look upstairs.”
>”Right!”
>The two mares split off and begin rooting through everything as you fly up the stairs two at a time, hatred focusing your attention like a sharpened blade
>On the left is a bathroom with a simple tub, toilet, and sink, along with a small cabinet that holds some of Starlight’s toiletries
>After a brief moment under repeated uses of your Stand’s ability and a sudden rush of fatigue, it all lies broken at your feet
>Nothing important in here, though, so you turn off the gushing water lines under the sink and make your way down the hall to the only other door
>The window at the end of the hallway gazes out over the village and gives you a “wonderful” view of the twin rows of creepy little houses
>This must be what she saw every morning as she got ready to manipulate these ponies
>You shake the thought out of your head and slam open the door
>Something you would charitably describe as an attic sprawls before you, lit by the sunbeams in the hall behind you and a single window at the far end, and cluttered with vases, picture frames, clothes, and a couple of empty bookshelves
>It’s very dusty except for a series of hoof prints you can barely make out in the light
>They weave all over the floor, passing by both shelves and across multiple piles of clothing, and then loop back in on themselves before heading out the door again
>Throwing yourself into action, you rummage through each pile of clothing you come across and check every picture frame for anything important
>The vases are absent of any conspicuous items, though curiously the bookshelves seem to only be dusty in certain places, with a few large rectangular spots free of dust on both of them
>Starlight must have taken some books off of there very recently, maybe even earlier today
>Aside from that, nothing
>Fucking nothing here will help you find her!
>SHIT!
>Rage and despair stretch your face into a grimace as you whip around to face the entrance-
>And you see something behind one of the bookshelves
>A thin rectangular board with various scribblings running across it lies abandoned between the shelf and the wall behind it
>A good chunk of it has been scribbled over or burned off, but a few notable points catch your eye
>Namely the picture of an arrow next to a crude diagram of [Killer Queen]
>”Together like this?” “Arrow grants power.” “Adorable.”
>Starlight’s musings dot the board, off-color in places and chilling in others
>So not only was she trying to take your power for her own, but she was trying to put it back together
>What really bothered you was her comment about the arrow
>How could she even know that it existed?
>Further investigation reveals nothing, so you pick up the board and bring it with you into the hallway, where you try to examine it in the better lighting
>”JOSUKE, TWILIGHT, I FOUND SOMETHING!”
>Yes! A lead!
>The house blurs and you find yourself standing in Starlight’s bedroom, which looks like it was just hit by an earthquake and a tsunami all at once
>You cautiously set the board down by the entrance to the room while Twilight looks on in curiosity
>”What’s that Josuke?”
“We’ll check it out when we’re done in here. Pinkie, what’ve you got?”
>”So I checked EVERYTHING, but then I realized that I didn’t flip anything over which might lead to me finding a plot-critical thing just as I gave up looking, so I trashed the room!”
>Pinkie smiles sheepishly as she points to a closed cellar door next to the broken and flipped remains of Starlight’s bed
>”I didn’t have to even pretend to give up though, since this big ol’ thing was right here when I tossed the bed aside!”
>That entire explanation was just weird, so you’re going to opt to ignore it
“Right, let’s check this out.”
>Twilight steps forward
>”But Josuke, what if Starlight’s set a trap down there?”
>In your eagerness to get down there you completely failed to consider that possibility
“Good call, Twilight. How do we find traps if there are any?”
>”I might be able to use my magic to check, you want me to try?”
“…Sure.”
>You weren’t jazzed about magic to begin with, and after your experience with Starlight earlier even less so, but if Twilight can give you an advantage here you’ll take it
>You and Pinkie exchange awkward glances as Twilight’s horn lights up and she spends a good minute waving her entire head around the edges of the trapdoor
“So… Pinkie. What do you think we’ll find down here?”
>”Probably Starlight’s super secret super convenient escape tunnel! Or maybe just her basement. It’s a 50/50 chance, really.”
>This pink pony is quickly revealing herself to either be precognitive or knowledgeable of just about every plot point in existence
>If this really is an escape tunnel you’ll have no choice but to follow it to the end, and you’re more than ready to do so
>”There are no wards, booby traps, magical traps, bear traps, lobster traps, or male traps in the vicinity of this door.”
>Wait, male traps?
>”Alrighty then, let’s go! Cmon guys!”
>Without further ado Pinkie throws the door open and cannonballs into the darkness below
>WHUMP
>”Whee, it’s fine in here! Come on down!”
>Steps descend into the darkness
>How the hell did she…?
>No, there’s no point in thinking on it, you’ve discovered something big here, so you can focus on analyzing Pinkie Pie later
>You fly down the stairs with wild abandon, stopping at the bottom when you see Pinkie waving at you
>Twilight hurries down behind the both of you and then her horn glows bright purple and you’re trying desperately not to claw out your eyes
“AAAAH, DAMN IT! WHY’S IT SO BRIGHT?”
>”Oh, uh, sorry.”
>The light dims enough for you to see the pony princess’ apologetic grimace beneath it, and she turns away from the staircase behind you
>”Guess this really is an escape tunnel after all!”
>The concept further reignites your drive to FIND HER, and you find yourself at your feet and rushing into the darkness
“STARLIIIIIIIGHT!”
>”Josuke wait!”
>The light follows, bobbing and weaving behind you and casting funny shadows along the tunnel walls as Twilight struggles to keep up
>Pinkie keeps a frenzied pace alongside you, her mane bobbing along in the ghostly light of Twilight’s horn
>Twists and turns snake their way through the underground, leading you and the girls further towards Starlight
>At least you hope so
>Suddenly, light!
>You’ve never been so happy to see light at the end of a tunnel!
>As you burst back into the sunlight the first thing that catches your eye is the destroyed tunnel on the other side of the destroyed bridge
>FUCK!
“FUCK!”
>How the hell are you supposed to track her down now!?
“TWILIGHT! Is there anything you can do to track Starlight? Anything at all?”
>The purple pony shakes her head
>Oh, Christ
>”I’m sorry Josuke, but unless I apply a tracking spell to her myself I won’t be able to locate her.”
>The flame in your chest, kindled by hope, begins to fade
>As your anger ebbs away you sink to your knees, guttering rage not enough to keep your tired body upright
>This is it, then. Nowhere to go from here but back to where you started
>Starlight got away with part of your Stand, and God knows where the rest is
>For just an instant you contemplate hurling yourself off of this precipice and just letting go of it all, letting the fear and anger and confusion and hurt slip into oblivion
>…
>…No.
>You were better than this. Your father, bless his soul, would’ve disowned you if you so much as brought suicide up in passing. It was the coward’s escape, he always said
>It’s time to stop playing nice.
“She’ll pay for this. When we find her I’m going to beat the shit out of her and figure out what to do from there.”
>Pinkie and Twilght recoil from the sheer venom in your words and watch as you slowly push yourself to your feet
>Your face twists into something unrecognizable as you begin to jog back down the tunnel, and your two pony escorts scramble to keep up
>”J-Josuke! You can’t mean that! We have to deal with this issue delicately!”
>Her words fall on deaf ears
>The sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can find Starlight, and hopefully some answers about your Stand
>Soon the sunlight fades and is replaced with Twilight’s purple illumination, and still you hurry on
>Finally the stairs come into view and you take them two at a time, bounding up and into Starlight’s room
>As the mares come up after you, you grab the board by the doorway and exit Starlight’s house to a completely empty village
>None of your group are here, and the townsfolk seem to have disappeared completely
>It is dead silent, without even a hint of the breeze to interrupt
>This is very, very wrong.