MLJ: SAM CH7 BEGINNINGS OF THE STARSWIRL BRIGADE PART 1

MY LITTLE JOJO: STANDS ARE MAGIC
CHAPTER 7: BEGINNINGS OF THE STARSWIRL BRIGADE PART 1/WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STARSWIRL THE BEARDED?
OPEN THE GAME!

>*ZAP*
>Alright then, at the castle
>You trot into the throne room to find Celestia sitting in the middle, a smile on her face and...
>Is it brighter in here than usual?
>"Twilight, so good to see you."
"You too Princess."
>You give your old mentor a hug
>And you SWEAR it's just a bit too bright in here
>I mean yeah, we're in a room with tons of windows, but COME ON!
>"Is... Anon not with you?"
"No, he's back in Ponyville with the other girls, searching for the pieces of that Soulstone."
>"OH! I expected... never mind."
>You blink and-
>Huh, Could've sworn it was a lot brighter
>Never mind that
"So, you wanted to see me for something important?"
>"Right. Yes. Come with me."
>Celestia guides you out of the throne room and magically transports you to a location unknown to you
>You're in a cave filled with all different types of gear and tech, artifacts of all kinds, papers strewn about
>If you were to guess, whoever resided here was some sort of scholar
>"Do you know where we are Twilight?"
>You're to entranced by the myriad of mysterious objects and gadgets around you to notice your ex-mentor talking
>"Twilight?"
>'Soul Sorceries'? Isn't all magic inherently tied to the soul already?
>"Twilight."
>'Pyromancies'? What's so special about flinging fire around-
>"Twilight!"
"Ah! Sorry, I may have gotten a bit... caught up in all... all of this."
>"Ah yes, he probably wouldn't be able to stop you from having a go at examining and opening all of this. Hell he'd probably join in."
"Who?"
>"Do you know where we are Twilight?"
>You ponder for a moment
"Well, we're clearly in some sort of... workshop? What with all of this equipment we have lying around."
>"Yes, I suppose you could call it a... workshop. But whose?"
"I... what do you mean?"
>"I mentioned a 'he', did I not?"
"Yeah, but who?"
>"You tell me."
"Are you really going to play the pronoun game with me now Celestia?"
>"I just wanted you to engage your mind a bit rather than simply tell you everything."
"Well, who's this place belong to?"
>"You might have finished a spell of his."
>Your eyes widen
"Is this really-"
>"Yup."
>You dance around in joy like a young foal having received the greatest Hearths Warming Day present ever
>This was STARSWIRL THE BEARDED'S WORKSHOP!
>All of this technology, all of this magic, papers on arcane theory, quantum physics, quantum mechanics, so much knowledge! Where do you start?
>"*chortle* Twilight, I know how excited you are, but this isn't exactly the time."
>You stop and compose yourself
"Sorry, I- I just-"
>"It's fine. In any other circumstance, I'd just be happy knowing that you got to see the home of someone you admired so much. For now, however, I fear we must use our time wisely."
"Right. So why are we here?"
>"You mentioned the phenomenon known as a... Stand in your letter, if I'm correct?"
"Yes. Why?"
>Celestia breathes a long, drawn out sigh
>"There are many things I haven't told you."
"Is this gonna be another Crystal Empire situation?"
>"I'm sorry?"
"You don't provide me with enough information, expecting me to fill in the blanks because 'muh test' and 'muh proving yerself.'
>Celestia gives a hurt, but understanding look
>"I will admit, I... have a tendency to do that sort of thing, but not today."
"Really?"
>"Yes. I'm going to tell you as much as I can to help you deal with Stands."
"Seriously? 'As much as you can?' Not 'here's everything I know Twilight. Go nuts'? Why not just-"
>Celestia gives a... strangely angry glare
>"There are some things best left unknown, Twilight. You would do well to remember that."
>You back off, your ears folded behind your head
>"*sigh* I'm sorry Twilight, I-... I've just seen so many bright young students and scholars fall to the knowledge they gain. I... I don't want you to end up like that."
"What do you mean?"
>A long pause fills the room as you see Celestia get noticeably uncomfortable
>"Do you know what happened to Starswirl the Bearded? How he died?"
"He died naturally of age. At least that's what's said."
>"*sigh* Oh Twilight... if only it were so simple."

>Well, isn't THIS quite the development!
>Who would have thought the serum would have worked with rats?
>Granted it took a bit of tweaking, but nonetheless
>To think this could be used on PONIES!
>You'll have to thank that Grisha fellow when you could
>Shows what Celly knows!
>'Multiversal knowledge is dangerous ground' my left hoof!
>...
>Oh, you know she's just trying to protect you
>How could you even think that?
>"Starswirl?"
>Celly steps in to your home, looking beautiful as ever
>OOOH SHE'S HERE!
>SHE'S HERE SHE'S HERE SHE'S HEEEEERREE!
>Ooooh you can't wait to show her your new experiment
>You won't have to worry about that whole 'mortality' problem!
>You could finally do what you've been meaning to do for so long!
"Celly, I have to say, you're looking absolutely brilliant!"
>"Thank you, but I haven't done anything special. This is just my normal look."
"Yet even now, you practically radiate! How could one like you be so... grossly incandescent?"
>Celly gives that cute little laugh she always gives when she's embarrassed or flustered
>It was just so cute!
>"Stop it now, I came because you requested me! Unless you lured me here to flatter me to death?"
>You bring her over to where you intended to show her your latest experiment
>Grabbing the mask of stone off of the wall, you magic a red stone over to your side
"I've been messing around with and researching something amazing, and I wanted you to be the first to see the results!"
>"What are you doing with those?"
"I may have unlocked something quite amazing!"
>"What?"
"Oh, you'll see my love."
>"I'm sorry?"
"I-I mean could you project some UV rays onto this gem when I say?"
>She nods
>You play with the ring box in your pocket
>OOOOHH THIS IS FINALLY HAPPENING
>YOU GET TO BE IMMORTAL
>AND YOU'LL FINALLY HAVE CELESTIA ALL TO YOU!
>...If she would have you, of course
>At least you'll have the immortality
>You jam the red stone into place and cut your hoof, allowing blood to flow through
"Alright Celly. I'm ready when you are."
>Celly charges some sunlight in her horn before firing a beam at the gem
>At the same moment, you wipe some of your blood onto the mask
>The next few moments fly by as the mask pierces your face
>THIS IS IT!
>...
>Nothing is changing
>At least, not how it was supposed to
>You should be able to change into any other sort of creature
>You're supposed to be the ultimate life form now!
>Why can't you...
>You're sure everything was fine when you first checked
>"Ceeeelllyyyyyy...."
>You can't form words
>Something's wrong!
>But WHAT?!
>You try to piece together what could have possibly going awry, but your mind is too occupied
>You're just...
>So...
>Huuuuuungry.....

>Celestia's eyes begin welling up with tears
>"He charged at me, and I... I...."
>You wrap your forehooves and wings around her, doing your best to comfort her
>"I'm sorry, it's- it's just been so long since that time and..."
"No need to explain."
>You both sit in silence for a few minutes
>"Promise me you won't risk your life for your research."
"Oh come on Princess, I may do quite a bit of experimenting but I would never-"
>"Promise me."
>*sigh* She won't give up on this
"Alright, I promise to never risk my life for my research."
>"Now then, we were here for for his notes. Give me one second."
>She composes herself and walks into one of the rooms separate from the main room
>You sit there waiting, when a thought emerges
"If you're here with me, where's Luna? I didn't see her in the throne room. Shouldn't she be tending to your duties while you're here?"
>"We called off court for the day."
"Okay, but where is she?"
>"She's off taking care of another security measure."

>How were you supposed to do this?
>What sort of qualifications does a guard require in order to make it into the Starswirl Brigade?
>All you had to go on was this old promotional poster!
>You'll have to think of something
>Guards would be a good idea; Can't go wrong with some muscle
>Some researchers, scientists, academics
>A few intelligence specialists, a large network of contacts...
>Oh, so much to do!
>Where do you start?!
>Calm down
>Breathe in...
>Breathe out...
>You'll get through this
>One step at a time
>You sit in your room compiling a list of everything you'll need if you're going to make something like the Starswirl Brigade effective
>By Faust you hated doing this sort of thing
>But you hated knowing the ponies you promised to protect were in danger even more
>So you set to work
>*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
>"Princess Luna?"
"Come in."
>The door opens, revealing Shining Armor
>"You called for me?"
"Yes. I apologize for taking you from your wife and child but-"
>"It's alright. I've been needing an excuse to get away for a while anyways. So what's up?"
"I'll need you to evaluate the best of your guards for possible entry into this new Brigade."
>Shining looks over the list
>"Why a new brigade? We're already snug as a bug in a rug, security-wise. What's the hurry for?"
>Now where did you put the Arrow?
>Ah! There we are!
>You slide the Arrow from its hiding place under your pillow
"What we're going to be dealing with soon is nothing like your average ruffian, criminal, or terrorist. Celly and I just want Equestria to be as prepared as possible."
>You bring the Arrow in front of you, inspecting it for any damage
>Nope, whole as the day it was buried deep below Starswirl's workshop
>"Well what is this threat?"
"In order for you to fully comprehend what we're dealing with, I'm going to need you to hold still."
>"What for?"
"This'll only hurt for a second."
>"What d-"
>You stab Shining with the Arrow, right in the neck, so as to not mess up his uniform
>He simply stands there, in too much shock to respond
>He falls to the floor, gasping for air and coughing
>"Wha-*COUGH*"
>I'm sorry Shining, but you'll thank me later
>You quickly take the Arrow out, mending his wound with your best healing spells
>In no time at all, it closes
>He gains his composure and breath back, standing up and giving you a death glare
>"Wh-What the hell was that for?"
>Sorry Shining, but this is the fastest way to bring it out
>At least, that's what you read in Starswirl's notes
>The alternative was the direct method, and you weren't sure if you had the time to wait for him to recover from that
>You fake prepping the Arrow for another attack
>Stands often come out in response to danger
>You swing the Arrow around you, telegraphing your attack just enough so that Shining will notice
>Just as it's about to hit him-
>"OOORAAAA!"
>A large reflective surface blocks the attack
>There it is
>Shining stumbles back, unaware that the sight before him is a part of him
>"What in Tartarus is that?"
>You get up and begin to examine the thing standing in front of you
>A pony, clad in medieval armor with a large reflective tower shield
>Makes sense for someone so dedicated to defending his people
>"Uh, Luna? What is this?"
"This, Shining Armor, is a Stand. Specifically, YOUR Stand."
>He gets up from his position on the floor and looks at the thing before him
>As he's about to ask the cornucopia of questions he has, he stops and stares at your forehead
>"Luna, you have... something on your head."
>What?
>You feel around your face until a stinging sensation forces your hoof away from it
>What in...?
>You walk to the Stand's shield to get a good look
>A small wound is currently occupying your forehead
>You didn't do anything to injure yourself in the last few minutes
>Where did-
>...
>Hmmm
>"Princess, what's a Stand?"
"One second Shining."
>You ready your hoof and strike your reflection right under the chin
>This sends you flying back into the wall, making you crash into a bookcase
>After getting up from the floor, you pick up what looks to be one of your teeth from the floor
>"Uhh, Princess, are you gonna answer my question?"
>That's quite the Stand you have Shining Armor
>"Seriously, what's a Stand?"

http://pastebin.com/fWRztejJ <=====TO=BE=CONTINUED=====