Stand Name: Space Oddity
Stand User: Ziggy

Stand for Equestria: Origin of Harmony

Surrounded by woodlands with your party, you feel a sense of calm the Everfree has never given before. As though having so many strong Ponies (and a Diamond Dog, Zebra, and Timberwolf, obviously) close by makes the forest itself weary. Though that could just be Lupina pushing back the less cooperative parts with her Stand and steely green eyed gaze, you appreciate it nevertheless. With Zecora and the aforementioned Lupina in front, you take the time to hang back and chat up Ziggy, who is currently staring forward with his gaze a mix of focus and restrained anger. "So, uh, Ziggy," you start slowly, unsure if he can hear you over the rage pounding through his heart and up to his eardrums, "this reindeer you're looking for...you said his name was Emeritus?"

The sound of his quarry's name being spoken shakes him from his focus, drawing a scowl from his muzzle as he peers down to regard you. "Quite so, that is his given name. Though, he does go by other monikers. "Forge" one place, "Copia" the next. Sometimes he even goes back to a crime scene and pretends to be his own son." He crosses his forelegs and clenches his jaw. "Bah...whatever the label, it doesn't matter. He'll choke on his own blood all the same, if he doesn't scream the same agony as all he's wronged first," he says with a cold, unshaken certainty. As though thinking of that very visual, of Emeritus struggling to breathe from his own blood clogging his throat, was all that kept him going 'til now.

"All this over a doll?" you think to yourself, weary and sighing yet also taken aback. As an actual response, you peer forward to the rest of the group and comment "So, how long? Uh, have you been tracking him, I mean?"

Ziggy, in response, purses his lips and draws forth a low hum, almost a growl if not for it's softer sound. "Oh, too long..," he says at first, before shrugging lackadaisically, "But if you must be precise, oh, around ten years."

"Ten years?" you echo back in surprise, eyes widened as you watch him nod. You take a second to process that before asking him "Have you had any, y'know, leads? Solid leads? O-Or luck of any kind?"

A frustrated huff passes into the air from his snout, though whether it's from the question or the soon-revealed answer is uncertain. "Absolutely. There's always a lead. But it's all shadows, and whenever it's not? I miss him by a fraction of a hair." With the frustration evident in his tone, he brings his fingers close though apart, as though squeezing something between the tips. "Just a matter of days, if not hours...if not minutes. All assuming he didn't leave weeks ago or was never really there at all. But, we'll cross paths again. Soon enough."

You sigh again, lips pursed and eyelids drooping in thought. "And these-these Deer Raiders, you really think he'll be there?" he asks.

"It's a distinct possibility," he says with a more neutral, plain tone. It seems as though the conversation is calming his nerves. "That's the one consistent thing from the trails I've followed, he loves managing thieves and slavers. He's like a consultant, bouncing from gang to gang, stirring up trouble and running with his earnings. I've made sure to show many of those groups that it was a mistake to accept his help. Whether he's with this group or not, the only way to know for sure is to check."

"And if he's not?" You posit, shrugging as you explain your hypothetical. "What if this is, uh, to you, at least...a red herring?"

Ziggy sighs, shaking his head. "Then I keep searching. There's always scoundrels and tricksters. Thieves and smugglers, gangs and slavers," he responds, "his puppet-strings tie into the hooves of the lower society until the blood leaks and the "fun", so to say...has faded."

You consider this for a second, and it leads to you thinking aloud "He might be a Stand User..." You then look towards Ziggy, whose eyes portray being in thought as you double-down and ask "Do you think he is a Stand User?"

A dry laugh creases out, lacking humor but retaining sarcasm, as though the thought were just another crinkle lying in his wake. "I wouldn't put it past him," he answers, "with how rapidly you've said they were appearing, it would be just my luck. Well, just our luck, old chap."

You shudder and respond with "Tell me about it," as your mind is filled with flashes of the sadistic blood-stained grin of the Patient.

Your remembrance is broken by a more genuinely mirthful chuckle coming from Ziggy, who smirks at you. "Alas, the woods are dark and dreary enough without talk of bloodshed," he says. "So tell me, old boy...which one is more your type?"

You swear a record scratch plays in your mind.

"Say wha?" you question aloud.

He chuckles again, and gestures with a tip of his head towards the all-female rest of the group. "The ladies, mate. Four of 'em right there," he explains, gesturing with his paw across the line of Canny, Fluttershy, Zecora, and Lupina. "Now tell me, which one would you rather..."dance" with?"

A warmth fills your cheeks until they're burning red. "Wha-dude!" you admonish with embarrassment that the rest of the group seems not to hear. "Quiet, or they'll hear you say that!"

"And what would be the matter with such speech?" he says cheekily. "Many ladies quite like a compliment about their features. All four of them have their unique assets, chap. Fluttershy and Canny, they've got the small-town vibe, familiarity. But Lupina and Zecora, ooh, exotic flair abounds."

"Nope," you say as you trot a little ahead. "Not havin' this conversation."

Ziggy doesn't stop, but instead doubles-down. Hard, for lack of a better term. "You mustn't choose just one, either!" he tells you eagerly. "You know what they say, the more the merrier, and that is a sentiment fair in war and sex."

"Lalalalala, can't hear you, sounds of nature are drowning you out!" You say too loudly, causing him to laugh. Unfortunately, this seems to catch Canny's attention.

Her monocle-clad right eye's brow arches as she turns her gaze towards you and asks "What's with the shoutin', Star?" An easy question to answer so long as you can think through a careful response and not refer to the thought of shacking up with her or the other mare-

"Nothing, we weren't talking about sex!"

Damn it.

Canny doesn't seem to process your blurted out slip-up at first, turning back. "Oh, alrighty the-wait what?" she says aloud as it finally crosses her mind.

You take on a nervous smile as you backpedal and shout back "Chess! We weren't talking about chess, I mean, no time to play, y'know how it is!"

She does not seem to buy it, especially not with Ziggy cackling behind you. At least he has some joy, finally. "Hehe," she responds, not seeming offended (thank Celestia), "well, just keep yer mind outta the Chess gutter 'til we're done here, alright Star?" She finishes the tease with a coy wink and a slight chuck as she walks back towards the front of the group.

You facehoof with both wings as you can hear a slight hum on your left from Ziggy floating close to you. "Truthfully, you can have that one," he snarks. "Bit too know it all for my tastes, old boy."

"Buckin' hate you so much right now," you mumble, before walking towards the ladies to get some space. That and, truthfully, you wish to learn more about Zecora. She steps with purpose, as though her mind had traced the woods before time and again on her travels. You raise your voice as you trot in step beside her. "So, this...Hamon thing. How do you know it? And more importantly, um, what is it?"

Zecora flicks her eyes to you in recognition of the question being asked as she keeps walking. "Through the passage of time, through many undead in their wake, Zebrican monks have used the power of the sun that they cannot take. The light, and warmth, and power binds, and erases the Risen and all of their kinds." A solar-powered undead killer, now you do find that fascinating. "I was taught it by a monks, who was taught by his kin. Trained to harness life to erase the darkest sin."

"Okay," you say, quickly remembering another time something similar was brought up. "Say, um, do you know any non-Zebrican monks who know it? Like perhaps a Neightalian Zebra?"

She raises an eyebrow at this, having to think on the answer for a second. "I know no one like that, there aren't many around. Hamon is nearly lost, buried into the ground." She then turns to you, and looks at the others in the process. "Now I have a question for you. This presence beside you, what does it do?"

She can sense Stands?

"Wait a tic, luv," Canny responds at first, "You can feel our Stands?"

Zecora does nod at this, albeit slowly as though thinking through her words carefully. "I can feel their energy, but I cannot see. It wraps around your soul, and fulfills their destined role."

"I wonder why you can sense them," Fluttershy asks quietly from behind. "After all, m-me and my friends couldn't until we got ours."

Lupina steps up with a theory of her own, trotting by Fluttershy as she rasps "Hamon is life energy. Stands are of our inner selves. Perhaps in some regard, they are the same."

Canny hums in thought for a second. "What're you thinking of?" you ask.

"Just wonderin' somethin'," she mutters, before letting out a shorter hum from her muzzle. "Can you use Hamon and a Stand all at once?"

"Celestia probably can," you tell her. "She is, y'know, Princess of the Sun. She probably bathes in Hamon."

A little further into your journey, your party has swapped around where they walk. You and Lupina are in front, currently having a hushed conversation about the very vegetation that seems to part for clear passage. In the middle are Canny, Zecora, and Fluttershy, all also making small talk amongst themselves (you can once again hear Canny ask why Zecora is rhyming, which is ignored.) And in the back is Ziggy, eyes closed in thought and grinning. He may very well be fantasizing about killing Emeritus, which wouldn't surprise you. You don't think about it too long, though, as you bond with Lupina a little more. "So, that wych elm?" you whisper to avoid Ziggy's snark as you point to a winding tree. "How old is it?"

"Two-hundred and five years," Lupina hushes back. "Legend has it, that tree stored the remains of a pony who has never been identified. Of course, no bones rest in it now."

"Fascinating!" you respond back with a grin as you pass by it to a river, where several rodents are splashing about. "And those coypu, or nutria, they're not too common I don't think. Were they brought here from somewhere else?"

Lupina hums for a second. "Yes, I believe so," she informs you, looking over the coypu as they wade in the water.

"Never even seen 'em before," Canny suddenly says, lowkey startling you. Noticing this, she shrugs, and says "Wanted to see what you two were talkin' about. Nutrias, huh? I've never actually seen one."

"Oh, they're semiaquatic rodents, usually herbivorous, quick breeders. They're usually mistaken for muskrats, which reside in the same areas but are usually smaller than Nutria rats," you say, rattling off what you know about them.

Both Canny and Lupina pause from speaking. Lupina looks impressed, but Canny is clearly astounded. "Nice!" she finally says. "They seem cute. Probably not good pets."

You shake your head and speak without thinking "Not in the slightest, they're very invasive."

"How do you know so much about this stuff, Star?" she asks, and you immediately blush. It doesn't come up too often, but when it does, you always tend to feel a little self-conscious.

"Well...ever since I could fly," you start by saying, "I was always curious about the plants and animals I say from under me when I flew. So, I hit the books, and uh...learned as much as I could! What kinds of plants are poisonous, animals and what marks their territory in case I need to be careful, stuff like that." Canny smiles at your enthusiastic tone, and you swear your own joyful grin is beaming. "Even though the Everfree scares me, just a little, I couldn't help but wonder just how this place worked."

"Impressive," Lupina says, making your attention return to her. "I never imagined...ponies who don't even have a talent or mark for nature loving it and caring about it."

You smile even more at this, and you swear your cheeks are beginning to hurt. "And if I may show off," you respond, before gesturing to a shrub to your left, growing pretty tiny pink flowers. "Oleander, poisonous and extremely deadly. But commonly cultivated. It's also called Nerium."

"Very good," she says. "Not too uncommon of knowledge, but it still fills me with joy that you took the time to learn it by sight."

Unfortunately, you all forgot to stay quiet. "Joy of joys!" Ziggy cheers from behind. "Now you can be boring as a party trick!"

You groan as Canny rolls her eyes and Lupina growls under her breath. This has been a long trek, clearly.

After a little while, you start to embrace that this will be a calm journey, not one wrought with terror. The Everfree is still at it's most beautiful and no one has really raised a fuss since Ziggy last ruined the moment. But in a flash, that changes. Zecora's step stutters and a sniff from her leads to her raising her forehoof to pause the movement of the party. "Stop. Here, but just out of sight," she begins, her tone of voice wavering as she tries to comprehend what she senses. To you, nothing seems out of the ordinary, but she continues "...Something here isn't right."

"She is right," whispers Lupina from your left. Her green eyes scan the forest, searching for the dark mark she appears to be tracking. "I smell death in the air," she explains, "death and...wrongness."

A sniffle from Ziggy is heard, still from behind you all, followed by his very casual "Smells like the Everfree to me, babe." He continues to, rather lackadaisically, sniff the air around him as Lupina bears her teeth. "Death and wrongness, won't say I don't smell anything. But it's par for the course, innit?"

Surprisingly, she doesn't turn and bare her teeth at Ziggy, despite him calling her babe and being casual about her concern. It's here that you realize that this might very well be a serious warning. "No, not like this," she responds with a low growl. "Be on your guard. All of you." A sea of overgrowth, most likely from her Stand, begins to cover the trees behind you as a physical barrier against ambush.

Following your example, you all summon your Stands. New Divide, Smooth Criminal, Space Oddity, and Powerwolf all emerge from nowhere and follow their masters as you all cautiously continue your trek. After a while more, about five minutes or so, you all begin smelling something foul and overpowering. "Yuck!" Canny calls out as she plugs her nose with a hoof. "What is that?"

"It smells like something's...rotting," Fluttershy replies in a meek sense of horror. As Ponyville's vet, you figure she would know what it smells like when an animal decomposes. Sadly, it may not be entirely uncommon. Still, you all reach a hill, and you put sympathies aside to take point. And as you crest the hill, you see something truly horrifying. "S-Sweet Celestia!" you stammer out in horror as everyone else gallops or floats up the hill.

In horror, you all see a green dragon. A full adult, larger than any animal you had ever seen. Or at least, you see what's left of it.

Decapitated and de-winged, the dragon's corpse is nailed upside down to a large wooden structure resembling an upside-down T, taken off the ground and made to dangle over a pool of it's own crimson blood. Things like teeth and pieces of flesh dot the blood-soaked ground, as pitch-black rats scurry across the red stained grass just under the beast. It's rotting. Decaying under entropy as it's heart has long-since ceased to beat.

Fluttershy can't help but look, even as her skin hues green from the sick and twisted visage before you. Zecora stands in awe, looking upset, though not surprised. To your surprise, Ziggy says nothing, and merely floats closer to the beat as the rats flee the Diamond Dog. "W-What..," Canny stammers out, her voice wavering out in shock. "W-What in the...What in the bloody Tartarus could have done this?!"

You can't even begin to imagine. It's hard enough to even wound a large green dragon, but to kill one, and to be so brazen and intelligent as to crucify it and use it as a trophy, a monument to their strength? Whatever killed it must be power-incarnate. And then you hear something chilling from an unusually wavering Ziggy. "It's him..," he whispers, staring at the dragon with his mismatched eyes in what you're sure is a gaze of fury and sorrow. "Emeritus...he's been here."

In shock, Canny blurts out "WHAT?! H-How could a simple lil' thief do this to a f-fuckin' DRAGON?!" But he doesn't even look back to her, still staring at the dragon's corpse.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" says the previously silent Lupina as she begins to pull Fluttershy away from the horror, successfully leading her down the hill with Powerwolf and Zecora by their side.

Confused and baffled, Canny whispers to herself "I-Is it?"

You nod and look back to her. "It is. Emeritus does have a Stand..," and then you look back to see the smoke plumes of many roaring campfires in the sea of trees ahead of this clearing. "And he may not be the only one."

With you, Canny, and Ziggy still up the hill, and Fluttershy back down the hill with Lupina and Zecora, you move down to the steep decline and begin to speak to everyone. "Okay, everyone, we may need a gameplan," you say, taking a second to sigh in relief as Zecora passes Fluttershy a drink to calm her nerves. "So, first rule is, let's avoid killing as much as possible." The thought immediately Fluttershy tense up as Powerwolf looms over her, simultaneously protective and hunting for whatever bothered her. In addition, you swear you hear Ziggy growl behind you. "Look...I'm not going to pretend we won't do whatever it takes to survive," you begin by saying. "I want you to avoid fatal blows, but I know that isn't always possible. No matter what happens, we win first, and kill last. And if we want to make it out of this safe and sound, we need to be able to do what we need to do, no matter how undesirable and grim." You choose not to bring up how Celestia told you to do whatever it takes to quell enemy Stand users. Even if she was right, all saying her name does is conjure up that image of her "secret failures." Whatever those could be.

Zecora breaks your reverie. "I will do my best, but this situation is grim," she tells you as she, with Powerwolf's nodding consent, pats Fluttershy's back. "I did not expect such raw sadism out of him."

"I will follow the Element of Kindness and Zecora in the sense of not slaughtering them," Lupina tells you. "But they will be crushed for what they have done to my home."

You want to argue against that, but you then quickly remember that you are in her abode that she has total control over and so you just nod. "Keep an eye on them," you tell Canny, who nods in agreement and goes down the hill after them as you walk towards Ziggy. "I need you to promise me something," you start, not being surprised that he is still focused on the dragon and whatever is bubbling up inside of him. "You can do whatever you want to Emeritus. But only after we interrogate him to find more hostile Stand-users." Ziggy still says nothing, but you can see his paw clench. "I'll take full responsibility for anything that happens after." After a second's pause, Ziggy nods and unclenches his fist. Good sign. "And...revenge is a great motivator and all, but...then what? What else can you do with you-"

"Have you ever taken vengeance before?"

Ziggy suddenly interrupts you and you pause for a second before scrambling and quickly saying "Well, uh-"

"Then how do you know it's not right?" he asks pointedly, now clearly staring off into space beside the dragon. He's not looking over the corpse, but it's rather lapsed his mind into overdrive until he's stopped looking at anything at all.

You try to say "Because every-everyone-" but are interrupted again.

"And who's "everyone", hmm?" he asks, his face scrunching up in irritation. "Self-proclaimed "wise men" who sit on the cushy seats and make the judgements for everyone while tipping their noses back so high that they don't realize they're sniffing their own flatulence?" He finally looks to you, his eyes not full of malice but rather that very mixture of anger and sadness you were sure of earlier. "People who have never had everything they've ever loved slowly taken from their grasp? These Holy Rollers claim revenge isn't the answer!" he growls out. "Well, to the deepest Hell in Tartarus they shall go, for they haven't felt the pain I have!"

You keep your breath level and stand your ground, even though Ziggy seems genuinely pissed off. "O-Okay, but like...m-most cultures agree-"

"Oh, yes, yes, "eye for an eye" "you must always dig two graves", yadda yadda ad infinitum," he says while rolling his eyes before staring right into your very soul. "They drill these teachings into you because it helps civilization run smoothly!" He doesn't even let you react before saying "It's so they don't have to clean up the bodies outside of their organizational charts. People like you, like Miss Clockwork, like everyone out there, have been taught one truth: to poo-poo revenge and condemn vengeance so that all you do when the time comes to balance the scales and get even is second-guess yourself. I thought so once upon a time myself..," he pauses for breath, and then with teeth clenched, grunts out "And then...he came along."

"...I..," you start to say, but then find yourself saying nothing.

"In answer to your question," Ziggy responds, still huffed up, "what shall I do after ridding the world of that filth? Well, simply put, I shall live." He sounds so sure of himself, so ready to keep that answer until either he or Emeritus dies. "I will live the rest of my life without any regrets or second thoughts, happy and relieved that an injustice has finally been corrected."

You stammer for a second, trying to respond. But nothing comes out, as you are so taken aback by his sureness that you have no real argument. Ziggy sighs and puts a paw on your shoulder. "I'm not upset with you, mate. I merely want you to understand," he explains, a gentle, truly friendly tone running through his voice. Is this the real Ziggy, hidden by a veneer of cynicism, snark, and vengeful rage? "This may be the only chance you have, as I pray that you never...never have to deal with the agony of having what you love taken from you." His stoicism returns, and he takes a deep breath in. "But if that day ever does come, where all you love has been taken from you..."

You look at him with pity as his shoulders slump and his paw retreats from your body. "Is this...really all just over a doll?" you ask to yourself in your thoughts as doubt creeps in.

Ziggy clears his throat and shrugs. "But anyway, enough of this doom, and gloom, and the horrid smell of a decaying dragon not five feet away from us," he says. "Go make sure the yellow one hasn't thrown her cookies, then let's come along and kill some raiders, yes?"

You agree and nod, trotting away from him and still thinking on the points he made. Your own Stand shouts for Vendetta. "Vengeance." Do you...truly even disagree? In any case, you go down the hill, and check on Fluttershy. She looks shaken. "Look...I'm sorry I even put the thought of killing them in your head," he starts, looking at Powerwolf, who is eyeing him suspiciously. "But we're all here for you, and we'll help you avoid the worst-case scenario."

Fluttershy nods and looks up to you. "O-Of course...thank you Star," she says with a nervous smile and a blush. From the side, Powerwolf stares into your eyes with a protective growl. You have no idea what that's about.

"Alright, well...are we ready to head off?" you ask, getting nods from around the party.

Ziggy pokes his head over the edge of the hill. "Well, then do follow me, lads and lasses!" he says. "I can smell the dirty rat and lead you lot right to him!"

"Let's go!"

What's next for you and your party?
<----- To Be Continued

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69yguQ_gZkA

And we're back! So, next chapter should be a fun one! I'm really happy with how the story is progressing, and how it's still alive! ^-^

So, firstly, question:

Are there any characters in the show itself that you felt would have had a good episode about them?

Basically, not counting celebration episodes like Slice of Life, are there any characters you think would have been cool to showcase in an episode? Personally, I would have loved more Lyra and Bon-Bon, especially since they are a canon couple as of the last season IIRC. Would've been neat.

Anyway, I don't have any rules or anything for next chapter. The Deer Village is straight ahead. If you want to do a fight scene, then do the Spots from normal Fight Chapters. Do a flashback or a Perspective Shift, it's cool with me. Just do not kill any of the main party (Shooting Star, Canny Clockwork, Ziggy, Lupina, Fluttershy, or Zecora)...yet. XD

But yeah, see y'all next chapter!