Hello Fanfiction readers! It is I, Ashbel Longhart finally back to give you fellow bronies a new chapter! I am so, so sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I've been going through a lot what with finishing classes for this year as well as this COVID-19 problem. I do hope you're all doing all right.

*A portal to Equestria appears* Oh! I guess that's that telling me to stop wasting time. Man it's been a while since I've done this. Ahem!

(Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. All rights go to Hasbro Studios. I also don't own any songs that may seem familiar to you people. They belong to their respective owners as well. I just own this story and nothing more.)

So brief recap time: Last time the CMC faced a crisis, more specifically Apple Bloom faced a crisis; the Cutie Pox. Luckily, nothing too bad happened, it was actually quite amusing if I'm being honest. The problem was quickly solved once AB started speaking the truth. And now, it's time for another day with Twilight and the gang. Let's see what's in store for us today. See you guys on the other side! Whoop! *Jumps into portal*

Season 2-Friendship 7: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Okay, now...think...think...think...think...think...!

*THOOM!*

"...holy...shit...!" I mutter to myself as I look at what was right in front of me: a lean, muscular arm was popping out of my body and lifting up the cup I set on the table.

'Okay, now just...slowly...put it down...' And lo and behold, the arm did as I thought as it slowly and gently placed the cup back down on the table before it decided to disappear into thin air, or perhaps the correct term would be returned back inside of me? I don't know. Having only read up to the middle half of Part 4 of JoJo's Bizzare Adventures, these things still confuse me. But...

"Holy fuck-a-roly! I have a Stand!" I exclaimed, looking down at my hooves in wonder. Is this what Light meant by granting me a special power? Is this what he/she meant by my 'Image of Victory?' I don't know and as of right now, I really don't care.

"I've gotta tell the guys about this!" I said to myself, already making plans to meet the other 'Guardians' and tell them about my discovery. Maybe we all have Stands? That would be even cooler!

*knock-knock!*

A knock at my door broke me from my thoughts before I heard Spikes voice.

"Ash? Everything all right in there?" Shit! I hope he didn't hear me curse, or else Twilight would kill me!

"I'm fine!" I said as I was about to walk over to the door when I thought came to me. Since I have a Stand, I might as well see what its limits are.

Thinking almost effortlessly like I've done this a thousand times, that lean arm appeared once again and with a thought, I sent it over to the door to grab the knob which it did with no problem. Now...what's the distance between me and the door again?

"Crap," I cursed quietly to myself as I didn't know the distance. Measurements were never my forte when it came to math. I'll have to ask the guys later for help with this. But for now...

"Need something?" I asked the baby dragon in front of me.

"I'm bored," He said bluntly.

"Don't you have chores to do?" I asked. Did he already finish them?

"Already finished," Well, I guess that answers that.

"Where's Twilight then?" I asked as the library was lacking the sound of the unicorn's usual use of magic.

"She left with her friends to go on their Pet Playdate," Oh yeah, Twilight told me about that. So it's that episode today.

"What're you doing right now?" Spike asked while taking a peek into my room.

"I was actually just about to go meet up with the guys at Sugar Cube Corner," I said, having already planned to meet up with the others today so I could tell them about my discovery from last episode.

"Can I come? I got nothing else better to do here," Spike asked, looking a bit hopeful.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure, you can come."

"Yes!" The dragon cheered lightly. Was he really that bored? "I'll wait outside, don't take long!"

"You do that," I said as the dragon raced downstairs. Grabbing my bag laying right next to the door, I followed after Spike while grabbing my usual cloak from the hanger.

Now, let's see what today has in store for me.

(Sugar Cube Corner)

"Here you go, boys! Four sodas and a dozen donuts!" Mrs. Cake set down our order on our table before heading off to take care of other customers.

"Thank you," I gave the pony a quick thanks before turning back to Night and Stardust, the former already eating a donut along with Spike.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Stardust asked while grabbing a donut for himself.

"It's about our status as these so-called 'Guardians,'" I said, taking a sip from my Fanta(I'm honestly surprised they have this product here) before continuing. "Specifically, it's about the powers Light supposedly gave us. You do know who Light is, right?"

"Some disembodied voice switching between a man and a woman's? Yes, I have spoken with this Light person."

"Well, I think I may have discovered just what my powers are," I said, getting the attention of everyone.

"Really?" Night asked, looking interested.

"Watch this," I said, directing my eyes to my cup.

*thoom!*

In an almost quiet sound, that lean arm once again appeared from my body and grabbed ahold of the cup, lifting it up to my lips where I then took a sip. After that, the arm set the cup back down and disappeared. I looked up to see everyone's reactions.

"Whoa...!" Spike breathed out, stars in his eyes as he looked at me. I couldn't help but feel bashful in the face of such awe.

"Did...did you use the Force?" Night asked.

"What? No, I used my Stand."

"Stand?" Both human-turned ponies plus baby dragon looked at me in confusion. Spike, I get, but the others?

"Have neither of you watched JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?"

"Never heard of it," Night outright admitted to watching the show. As for Stardust...

"I have heard of it, but I never musted up the interest to actually watch the show," is what he said. So none of them have never seen JoJo, which means they have no idea what a Stand is, which also means they don't have Stands and thus can't see mine. Does that mean me having a Stand is unique only to me?

"Just what is this 'Stand?' You seem to know a lot about it," Stardust asked.

"Well..." I took a moment to gather my thoughts in order to explain just what exactly is a Stand. "To put it simply, a Stand is a visual representation of one's own life energy."

"Huh?" All three looked at me in confusion, understandable.

"Stands are defined as personifications of 'life energy' or 'spiritual energy' whose abilities are given visual form. They're called 'Stands" because the name comes from the fact they usually manifest standing next to the User: ready to act."

"So, wait," Night spoke up. "So the reason these Stands are called 'Stands' is that they... 'stand by you'?"

"...basically, yeah," I nodded my head.

"That's...kind of lame," Spike said, looking unimpressed.

"Yeah, it kinda is," I said, admitting that the reason Stands were called Stands was a little lackluster, "But hey, it stuck. And I wouldn't go judging a Stand by its name alone. They represent the manifestation of an individual's innate 'fighting spirit' and embodies, to an extent, the individual's psyche. However, Stands may also derive through the exploration of possibilities and expression of the mind, in which case, only a large amount of mental strength is required. Beyond that definition, Stands present themselves in a large variety of forms and with different behaviors, if they are sentient at all. They follow a loose set of rules, with no definite standard by which one can fully classify them. As an embodiment of someone's psyche, Stands are therefore as varied as human minds can be."

"So no two Stands are the same," Stardust said and I nodded.

"Yeah, barring a few exceptions," Star Platinum and The World came to mind, but I quickly brushed them away. "Due to their diversity, Stands are not made equal. Some can be incredibly powerful due to their User's outstanding grit, while others can be highly situational because of a defining quirk of character, or even detrimental to their User if they do not have the necessary fighting spirit."

"What?" Spike looked surprised at that last part and looked at me in worry.

"Before you ask, I'm completely fine. Using my Stand hasn't done anything harmful to me," I assured the baby dragon who calmed down at my words.

"If you say so, but let us know if anything happens," Spike said before going back to eating the donuts on the table.

"These Stands sound quite interesting," Stardust said, rubbing his chin as he looked at me. "But how come we all can't see this Stand of yours? Is it because we don't have Stands of our own?"

I nodded in confirmation. "Only a Stand user can see a Stand. Likewise, only a Stand can injure another Stand."

"I see, interesting..." Stardust said, rubbing his chin again. "Though that begs the question, why do you have this 'Stand' while Night and I don't."

"That's actually why I had this meeting held. I wanted to see if you two had Stands like me," I said before sighing. "But seeing as you guys can't see my Stand, then the answer to that is a big no."

"At least you figured out what your powers are," Night said. "I'm still trying to figure out what Light said to me about a storm or whatever."

"What about you?" I asked Stardust, curious to know if the pony had any special powers besides the magic that came with being a unicorn.

"I've only ever talked with Light when he first transported me here, and he didn't mention anything about unique special powers or anything."

"Well, you are a unicorn," Night said. "Maybe he thought giving you a unique special power on top of your magic was overkill?"

"Says the pegasus who can fly and directly control the weather," Stardust shot back.

"..." I felt my eye twitch at the two ponies in front of me, once again reminded of my status as an Earth Pony. And stop patting my back Spike!

"So," Night spoke up again just as I grab a donut and practically shoved it into my mouth. "What else can this 'Stand' of yours do? I mean, you did say that a Stand was supposed to have some sort of special power unique to them?"

"I literally just discovered this a few days ago. I haven't had time to test this thing out," I said, having only seen the arm of whatever my Stand is. I have yet to see the full body of it.

"Well, what's stopping you from doing that right now?" Stardust asked, pointing out how I can just...

...

...

...

...

I resisted the urge to facehoof myself as I grabbed the last donut and bit into it, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Can we get some cupcakes before we go?" Spike asked, already seeing that we were about to leave.

Welp, might as well see just what this Stand of mine can do.

*PEWWWWWWWWWW!*

Or we can get caught up in today's episode instead. That works too.

"What's happening here?" Stardust asked the girls as Rainbow Dash, wearing a cap and whistle, stood in front of gathering birds and creatures that could fly such as a bat and butterfly.

"Rainbow Dash is holding a contest to see which animal can be her pet," Twilight explained.

"Is all of this really necessary?" I couldn't help but ask. I mean, how hard was it to pick a pet for yourself?

"Yeah, I mean, if it's Rainbow we're talking about, wouldn't either the falcon or eagle do?" Night asked, pointing over to the specific animals in question.

Before any of the girls could answer, Rainbow blew her whistle again to quiet us down before facing the animals before her.

"So! You all think you've got what it takes to be my pet, do ya? Well, we'll just see about that! If any of you don't think you can handle it, bow out now before you humiliate yourself in front of your peers." And down goes the ladybug, though let's be honest, it never stood a chance. "This competition isn't for the weak. You'd better be prepared to step up your game!"

Rainbow's eyes landed on the butterfly I mentioned earlier. "You call that flapping?!"

*flapflapflapflap!*

"That's better," Come on, give the little guy a break. You might as well have caused a series of tornadoes down on the other side of the world. "There's only room on Team Dash for one of you, and my future pet needs to be able to take it to the extreme! Any questions?

"I got one" AJ spoke up. "Does she understand what a pet really needs?"

"Yeah, like care and attention, love and affection–"

*Lick!*

"Ugh! And breath mints!" Twilight gagged as AJ's dog who's name I do not remember suddenly licked the pony.

"Here," I gave the unicorn a handkerchief I grabbed from my bag while shooing away the dog who was trying to lick me as well. "Ah, ah, ah! No! Get back!"

"Come on, Ash, lighten up. Winona's just trying to show off her love," AJ said as she petted her dog.

"I'm not very fond of dogs, in case you've forgotten," I said, thinking back to the Diamond Dog incident I got involved in with Rarity. I wonder what those cave mutts were doing right now?

"Hey, is that Fluttershy...with a turtle?" Night spoke up, pointing over to the pegasus in question who was, in fact, pushing a turtle forth to join in on the competition.

"Now, you just pay attention, and try your best, and–"

"Seriously, Fluttershy! The turtle?" Rainbow spoke up. "What did you bring that thing here for?" Hey now, calling the little guy a 'thing' is rude.

"Technically he's a tortoise," What's the difference? "and he's always dreamed of being somepony's pet. He just wants a chance to compete, he won't get in the way. You won't even know he's here." Isn't that contradictive to what this contest is considering the goal is to stand out?

"No."

"Oh, just let him try."

"Ugh, but there's no way he can possibly keep up. Look at him!" Hey! No need to push the little guy!

"It won't hurt to let him try."

"But–"

"Just let him try?" Hey, come on now, Fluttershy, no need to force the little guy onto her.

"Grrgh, ugh, fine!" Rainbow said, giving in. "But don't say I didn't warn you! This isn't a game, you know!"

"Who here wants to bet the little guy's gonna become Rainbow's pet?" I suddenly asked.

"No bet, it's quite obvious what the outcome will be," Stardust said with Night nodding in agreement. Guess they both watched today's episode too.

"You guys think the tortoise will become Rainbow's pet?" Twilight asked us.

"We do," I answered.

"How? I mean, compared to all the other contestants, I don't see how the tortoise can keep up, much less win."

"Trust me, Twilight. By the end of today, that little guy's gonna be going home with Rainbow," I said as I turned back to the contest about to start.

"Alright, now these games," I thought you said this contest wasn't a game earlier? "will determine which one of you has the most important qualities I'm looking for in a pet." And those would be...?

"Speed!" Uh-huh. "Agility!" Uh-huh. "Guts!" Okay. "Style!" Okay. "Coolness!" Sure. "Awesomeness!" Yeah. "And radicalness!" Okay-wait, aren't those last three the same thing?

"Aren't those all the same thing?" Twilight said, unknowingly speaking my thoughts out.

"You would think that, Twilight. And that's why you would never qualify to be my pet," Rainbow said, playfully petting Twilight's head a few times much to the unicorns annoyance.

"Well then, as they say," Stardust began. "Let the games begin."

(First Test: Speed)

"Speed!" Rainbow shouted, having brought us all to a track field. Wasn't this place bigger during the Sisterhooves Social?

"On your marks... Get set..." Rainbow began before she blew her whistle, prompting every creature to take off. Immediately, the one who stood out was the tortoise...due to the fact that by the time every other animal finished a lap, the reptile was still in the process of lifting up one of its legs.

"Now that's just sad," Spike commented, sitting on my back and eating some popcorn which I took out from my bag.

"Now Spike, no need to be rude," I said before turning back to the race.

"Sorta speedy... not speedy... pretty speedy... could be more speedy..." Rainbow commented as animal after animal passed by her, until...

*CAW!*

In a burst of speed powerful enough to knock the feathers off an owl, one of the "contestants," a Falcon, crossed the line in a showcase of its speed.

"Yeah! That's speed!" Rainbow smiled as the others next to me cheered while the other animals finally finished their last lap. Well, almost everyone.

"Tsk-tsk," Rainbow tsk-ed at the tortoise who just finally finished...taking a single step. "That's just sad." Now Rainbow, no need to be rude, even if it is true.

"Aww, I thought the eagle would have won," Night said, looking a little down.

"Falcons are known to be one of the world's fastest animals, so it's no surprise to see the falcon winning," Stardust said.

"How fast are falcons exactly?" Spike asked, curious.

"According to the internet," I said as I looked at my phone. "Falcons are known to travel 240mph while diving, so they're pretty fast."

"Cool."

Alright, next up we have...

(Second Test: Agility)

"Agility!" Rainbow said as we were now at what looked to be an obstacle course designed mostly towards flyers.

"The butterfly seems to be doing okay," Night pointed out before turning to Rainbow. "Any thoughts, Rainbow?"

"Sorta agile."

"The flamingo?"

"Not agile." With legs like those, I don't see why it just doesn't fly.

"What about the toucan?"

"Pretty agile."

"And the bat?"

"Could be more agile."

"I thought bats were supposed to be nocturnal?" Stardust asked.

"So is Owlicious, and yet he's active sometime during the day," I pointed out. It could be just an MLP thing.

"What about Mr. Tortouise?" Night asked, pointing over to the reptile in question who tried to jump...only to trip over.

In an unamused look, Rainbow responded, "That, my friend, is the opposite of agility." Harsh, but true.

*Zoom!*

Suddenly, a green blur sped past all the contestants, clearing each obstacle course in seconds before coming to a stop, revealing the blur to be a hummingbird. At the showcase of its agility did Twilight and the girls cheer for the little birdy.

"Yeah, baby, now that's what I call agility!" Rainbow exclaimed as she flew over to the hummingbird and raised her hoof for a pony-style high five, but the bird simply blinked at her. "C'mon, don't leave me hangin'!"

"Actually, Rainbow, I don't think that's gonna—" Ah, too late. In an attempt to high-hoof the Pegasus, the Hummingbird stopped flying for a moment and promptly fell down. Seconds later, the birdy flew back up in embarrassment.

"...I'm gonna have to shave a point off your score for that," Oh come on, Rainbow, you can't blame the little guy for that one.

Welp, onto the next one...

(Third Test: Guts)

"So how exactly are you gonna measure 'guts'?" I asked the Pegasus, curious.

"Like this!" Rainbow said as she brought out...Opal's cage? Exactly how is Rarity okay with this?

"Okay!" Rainbow cried out as she faced the contestants. "Which of you has the guts to try and get Opal's favorite toy away from her?" Said toy was a stuffed mouse animal. Also, isn't that the same mouse Spike used to frame Owlicious with during Season 1, Episode 24? Are those mice popular with animals or something?

Back to the test, Rainbow sets the stuffed mouse down in front of the cage and proceeds to open the said cage, letting Opalescence out where she growls at the would-be thieves, intimidating them with her claws. This worked on everyone except for, surprisingly, the butterfly who flapped on over to the cat. Opalescence, who I'm sure is due for another lesson with Fluttershy later with the way she's acting and all, raised her claws to strike down the bug only to get confused when the butterfly used its wings to confuse the cat.

"Huh," Night spoke up. "I didn't know butterflies could do that." Me neither.

With the cat now confused, the butterfly took this chance to swipe away the toy, impressing Rainbow.

"Now that takes guts!" It wasn't so much as a display of guts, but more like it was clever.

Glancing back over to Opalescence to see how the cat was doing, I saw the tortoise(when and how did it get behind the cat so fast?) tried to tip over Opalescence's cage, attempting to trap the cat. However, the said cat recovered her senses quickly and avoided the trap before attacking the tortoise who quickly hid in its shell for protection.

Rainbow looked at this scene conflicted before decided to just move on.

"Should we help him?" I asked the others, gesturing to the tortoise.

"We should," Stardust said, using his magic to lift Opalescence, much to the cat's surprise, away from the tortoise who reappeared from its shell.

"Explain to me again why you think this guy's gonna be Rainbow's new pet?" Spike asked, still riding on my back.

"Call it a gut feeling," I said before going over and picking up the reptile. "Come on, little guy, we still got a few more tests to do. Hang in there.

Now, up next is...

(Fourth Test: Style)

*FLASH!*

"Style!" Rainbow cried out as she took pictures with each animal such as wearing shades with the bat(oh the irony), posing with the falcon on her arm(I feel that's a reference to something), fencing with the hummingbird(how the heck that little guy can hold a rapier, I'll never know), getting dressed up with the owl(that style really doesn't suit Rainbow in my opinion), and playing hockey with the eagle(at least I think it's hockey. I really don't know what that sport is called).

"Any pet of mine's gotta look good," Rainbow said, having finished taking a picture with the butterfly before Rarity came in to apply some makeup to the Pegasus. "'cause you gotta make me look good!"

"And tell me again why I'm the one taking the pictures?" I asked, standing behind the camera and having been taking pictures for the last hour.

"Because you take really good pictures," Rainbow answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at the Pegasus who nodded her head. Turning to the others, they too nodded their heads at me. Was I really that good at taking pictures? I mean, I do sometimes nitpick about stuff, but does that translate to me taking pictures?

Well, whatever. At least I'm getting paid to do this. Up next we have...the tortoise who's shell was decorated with a simple red bow. Rainbow looked unsure about the slow reptile before glancing over at me. I just shrugged and took the picture.

*FLASH!*

Checking the results, the picture shows Rainbow looking awkwardly at the tortoise who in response to the flash hid away in its shell, making it look like Rainbow was standing awkwardly next to a shell elevated by a chair. I won't lie, it looked kinda funny.

"...You are keeping these photos, right?"

(Fifth Test: Coolness)

"Coolness!" Bitch, don't ignore me!

"And how are we supposed to measure "coolness" exactly?" Stardust asked, probably curious. How does one measure coolness? Do we measure how big someone's sword is? Wait, no, that's measuring badassness.

"Like this!" Rainbow said, pointing over to the owl who let out its usual cry. "Sorta cool." Wait, seriously? She's just gonna listen to the animals' cries?

*duck quacks*

"Not cool."

*bat cries*

"Pretty cool."

*toucan cries*

"Could be cooler."

*wasp buzzing*

"Not what I had in mind." It's a bug, what did you expect?

*butterfly ...*

"I can't hear you!" Again, a bug. What did you expect?

*cough-hack-cough!*

"Eugh." Rainbow recoiled a little and I don't blame her. The guy sounds like he has something stuck in his throat.

*CAW!*

Suddenly, the familiar cry of the eagle drew Rainbow's attention, and judging from her smile, she liked what she heard.

"Now that's a cool sound!" AMERICA! FUCK YEAH!

"If we're measuring coolness by the sound of someone's voice, we might as well bring Godzilla here," I commented, imaging the roars of the King himself. Now that would be cool.

"Who's Godzilla?" Spike asked, having heard me.

"The King of Monsters."

Spike's eyes widen. "The King of what!?"

"I'll show you later," I said before turning back as Rainbow moved onto the next contest which, thankfully, didn't involve us moving again.

"Awesomeness!" Rainbow declared before featuring to the animals. "Show me what you guys got!"

With the bat, the flying rodent hung upside down from a tree and showed off its ability to echolocate. How the heck we were able to see said echoes, I'll chalk it up to being a TV thing.

"Sorta awesome," Rainbow commented before moving onto the Toucan who...just stuck out its tongue and made noises. What the fuck is that supposed to be?

"Not awesome." Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with the Pegasus on that one.

The cry of the flamingo drew Rainbow's attention as the pink bird went and showed cased its ability to...stand on one leg.

"Could be more awesome," I beg to differ. As a former human, I'd give the guy the same score as the toucan.

The owl, who was not Owlicious by the way, showcased its ability to turn its head a complete 360 degree.

"Ho ho ho, yeah! That is awesome!" I'd go more with creepy if I'm being honest.

"More like creepy," Night muttered to himself, unknowingly echoing my thoughts. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

Rainbow's attention was soon drawn to the tortoise as he demonstrated his ability to...tuck his head into his shell.

"Uh, you did that already. That's pretty much all you can do, huh?" When something's been done so many times, it loses its edge.

"Well, I guess that's it for the 'awesomeness' contest," Night said. "Kinda went by fast."

"Well some contestants have dropped out," I said, pointing over to where the toucan and flamingo were leaving.

Well then, onto the last contest which is...

(Final Test: Radicalness)

Apparently, 'radicalness' somehow translates to showing off one's talents as a small stage was constructed for the contestants to show what they can do. To start off:

A duck tap dancing? I'd give that a 3. Daffy Duck did it better.

An eagle knitting a sweater? First off: 3, same as the duck. Second: Why does an eagle know how to knit?

The falcon doing a card trick that failed? 2. Also, like the eagle, why do you know that?

The wasp doing shadow puppets? Considering it can even do that even with its limbs, I'd give the little guy an 8 personally. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem Rainbow feels the same.

What did get the Pegasus' attention was the bat playing what sounded like the MLP theme song using glasses. It then screeched, causing the glasses to break and crumble into pieces.

"Whoa! That was truly awesome! ...but I'm afraid this is the radicalness competition, so I'm gonna have to take some points off." Gees, this Pegasus sure is tough to please.

"Um, is he going to be okay?" Spike spoke up, pointing over to the stage where an obstacle course was set up which consisted of a ring of fire, a guillotine, a pool of sharks, and so on. And the one performing this stunt was none other than the tortoise.

"A better question is, where did he get all that?" Stardust asked, looking concerned about the pool of sharks and guillotine in particular. Though he does have a point, where in the world did the reptile get all this? Last I checked, Fluttershy doesn't take care of sharks...I think.

"He's going..." Night spoke up as the tortoise jumped...and didn't even make it to the spring right in front of it, falling on its back. "...and he's out."

Rainbow sighs at this before walking up to the reptile, helping him stand back up. "Listen, turtle..."

"Tortoise."

"Whatever!" Rainbow exclaimed at Fluttershy before turning back. "You've had your fun, but I think you and I both know who made the cut and who didn't.

The reptile just slowly blinks and croaks.

"...You didn't," She said before pointing up into the air where the ones who stood out the most: the owl, eagle, falcon, and bat, all flew as the others in the backed cheered for them.

"I mean... 'A' for effort and everything, you gave it your best shot, maybe I've got a gold star sticker around here somewhere you can have, but, seriously, go home. You're starting to creep me out."

In response to Rainbow's rude comment, the tortoise, somehow, gave the Pegasus puppy-dog eyes.

"So, anyway..." Unable to stand the look the reptile was giving her(coward), Rainbow turned back to the remaining contestants."You're all outstanding competitors, but there can only be one of you who's number one. So the final tie-breaking contest is going to be...pause for dramatic effect...(really? -_-) a race against...me!"

"A race against you?" I spoke up, eyebrow raised as I gave the Pegasus a questioning look. "You, Rainbow Dash, one of the fastest ponies in Equestria and the only one who's ever managed to perform the legendary Sonic Rainboom?"

"I'm with Ash here, a race against you doesn't seem fair," Stardust said.

"Oh don't worry, I'll go easy on them," Somehow, I doubt that.

"And just where is this race taking place?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"The race will take place..."

"Through Ghastly Gorge! Dun dun dun!"

*CAW!*

"Gesundheit," Rainbow said, offering the eagle a handkerchief.

(BGM: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner)

"Is...is that Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' I'm hearing?" Stardust spoke up, looking around in confusion.

"You can hear it too?" I asked, surprised. I thought I was the only one!

"This doesn't seem safe...like at all," Night commented, looking out into the valley dubbed the Ghastly Gorge.

"The Ghastly Gorge isn't that scary," Rainbow insisted, looking a little smug as she stood in front of the nervous contestants. "I've flown through it a million times myself, so obviously I'll be at the front of the pack. But whichever of you make it across the finish line with me will have proven you can keep up with me and will have earned the honor and glory of getting to be my pet!"

"Risking one's life just to be a pet is not worth it!" I exclaimed, but the Pegasus simply ignored me as she went and lined herself up with the other contestants.

"Ready?" No. "Setgo!" And there she goes.

"Oh, I hope they'll be all right," Fluttershy said, a bit worried.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Twilight assured the Pony of Kindness as we all made our way to the finish line which was set up on the other end of the valley.

"And she said she would go easy on them," Stardust said, pointing out how the Pegasus was already ahead of the pack.

"She is," Night said. "Rainbow can go a lot faster than that. She's flying at a speed the other animals can keep up with."

"And how would you know that?" AJ asked, her tone curious.

"I raced her." I freeze briefly at that, looking at the dark-coated Pegasus in surprise.

"You've raced Rainbow Dash?" I asked.

"Yeah. Multiple times," Night said before flapping his wings and hovered above us. "Rainbow was the one who suggested it, saying it would help me get used to my wings faster. And well," As if showing off, Night flipped around a few times before flying upside down albeit with some struggle. "Can't say I'm unhappy with the results."

"Huh...neat," I commented, impressed. "So what, you just race Rainbow in your free time?"

"Not all the time," Night said as he flew back down, tucking in his wings. "I sometimes help Rainbow with her job of managing the skies. She calls it, 'Paying my rent.'"

"Considering you're living with her, I'd say that's appropriate," Stardust said.

"So, what's it like living with Rainbow Dash?" I asked, curious. As someone who lived with Twilight, I was curious to know if there were any differences since I don't really know what Rainbow does whenever she's not hanging out with us.

"Well, I can tell you this much, she never sits still," Night said as we soon arrived at the finish line and were now simply waiting for Rainbow and the others.

...

...

...

"I'm bored," Spike said from on top of my back.

"Well, we are just waiting here," I said, having kept myself busy by reading Fanfic off my phone.

"Hey, maybe now's a good time to see what those powers of yours can do?" Night suggested, reminding me why I got the guys together like this.

"Okay, uh...where should we start first?" I asked, a bit nervous now.

"Perhaps a strength test?" Stardust suggested as he used his magic to levitate a baseball-sized rock over to me. "You talk about how strong Stands were, so let's see if it can crush this rock."

"Okay..." I said as I manifested my Stand or at least part of it, and directed it to grab the rock from Stardust. Keeping a close eye on the rock, I thought about my Stand crushing it and...

*BREAK!*

The guys and I all jumped in surprise when my Stand crushed the rock in an instant, crushing it as easily as crushing tinfoil.

"Whoa!" We weren't the only ones surprised as the sound my breaking rock caught the attention of the girls who all looked at me in surprise.

"Well, I guess we can check super strength off the list," Night said.

"What...what was that?" Twilight asked, looking straight at me. "What did you just do?"

"Uh, well..." In a hurry, I quickly thought about what to say while my Stand tossed away the remains of the rock it crushed before disappearing. "Remember that thing I told you about? The Guardian thing?"

"Yeah...?"

"It's related to that."

"Apparently, we each are supposed to have special powers unique to us," Stardust explained, gesturing to us human-turned ponies. "Ash here recently discovered his. It's something called a Stand, a physical representation of spiritual energy."

"Really?" Twilight said before looking towards me with interest. "Could you show us?"

"Well, the thing is, only other Stand users can see other Stands. The most I can do is let you feel it," I explained before summoning my Stand again and had it reached out to poke the unicorn's nose.

"Kya!" Twilight let out a cute cry of surprise as she stumbled back holding her nose, looking around in confusion before turning back to me. "Did...did you just...?"

"I just had my Stand poke you," I said before demonstrating my Stand more by having it pick up a random rock and tossing it into the air before catching it. To the others, it may seem like I was levitating the rock or something.

"Interesting..." Twilight muttered to herself as the spark of interest in her eyes was clear to see. Something tells me Twilight and I will be having a talk later.

"Hey guys, look! Here they come!" Pinkie suddenly spoke up, getting us all to turn back to the finish like to see the contestants flying in the distance heading towards us.

The first to cross the finish line was the falcon followed by the eagle, the bat, and finally the owl. Immediately, everyone knew something wasn't right when there was no sign of Rainbow appearing.

"Hm, something's not right here."

"And what gave that way, Twilight?" I couldn't help but say.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy said, asking the obvious question. In response, I took out a pair of binoculars from my bag and looked through them only for them to get snatched away by AJ. Rude much?

"Great galloping galoshes!" Was that even a word? "There's been an avalanche in there!"

"Rainbow!" Spike cried in despair, he and the others fearing the worst.

"I wouldn't worry just yet," I said, snatching my binoculars back from AJ before pointing over into the distance where appearing over the horizon was...

"It's the turtle!" Fluttershy exclaimed

"Tortoise!"

"Oh, whatever..." Weren't you the one who was so adamant about what exactly the reptile was exactly?

"And he's carrying something on his back..." Twilight pointed out

A gasp came from Pinkie. "It's Rainbow Dash! It's her! It's Rainbow!" Indeed, riding on top of the tortoise was Rainbow herself, a bit scuffed up and with a cast wrapped around her body, confining her wings.

Spike and the girls soon started cheering while the guys and I simply smiled in amusement. Though I have to wonder, just where did Rainbow get a cast for her wings? No doubt one of many questions that will go unanswered.

"Perhaps we should move the finish line a bit closer?" Stardust suggested, pointing out just how slow the duo were.

Seeing this, Twilight used her magic to grab the finish line and moved it closer to the tortoise, she and the others cheering once again once the two crossed the line.

"Huh. Way to go, little guy!" Spike said, getting off my back (finally!) and petting the reptile.

"I told you she'd be all right," I said though my words fell to deaf ears as the others were more focused on checking Rainbow.

"Oh, thank goodness you're not hurt, Rainbow!" Twilight said, relieved to see her friend okay.

"Just my pride," Rainbow said as she dusted herself off a little.

"And your wing," Night said, looking at the cast wrapped around her. "What happened?"

"A boulder caught my wing," Rainbow said. "I thought I was gonna be stuck down there forever when this little guy," she gestured down to her savior, the tortoise. "came and rescued me."

"Well, I certainly hope all of this dreadful dust was worth it," Rarity said before sneezing.

"Bless you," Stardust said as he handed the unicorn a box of tissue-wait a minute, where'd he get that from?

"It sure was, if'n it means Rainbow gets to have her own little critter just like the rest of us from now on," AJ said as she petted her dog, Winona.

"Don't you think you should get off the little guy?" I said, pointing out how Rainbow was still sitting on her soon-to-be pet.

"Oh! Right," Blushing slightly, Rainbow got off the tortoise before kneeling down to it. "Uh... thanks. What you did... I owe you one." Ya damn right, you do.

"Rainbow~! Your new pet is over here waiting for you," Fluttershy called out, gesturing to the one who crossed the finish line first, the falcon, who took to the air and flew around before landing on top of Rainbow's back.

"Oh... Right... Yeah... That."

"What's the matter?" Spike asked, noticing Rainbow's strange behavior.

"You got your perfect pet, right?" Pinkie said whilst leaning over Spike much to the dragon's annoyance.

"The best of the best like you wanted, remember?" Fluttershy said. "It can fly and it's not a squirrel!" What? "Should we sing about it again?" You sang a song about it? Of course, you sang a song about it.

"A falcon sure looks good on ya, Rainbow," AJ complimented while Rarity got out the camera used in the fourth test to take a picture of Rainbow and the falcon while accidentally scaring the tortoise who hid in his shell.

"Easy, fella. Nothing to be afraid of," Rainbow assured the tortoise before looking up at the falcon "The falcon sure does look cool... He's absolutely everything I wanted in a pet."

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," I said.

"But," Called it. "I said whoever crosses the finish line with me gets to be my pet."

"You did!" Pinkie literally zoomed in. "You did say that! She did say that that was the rule!"

"And the only racer who crossed the finish line with me was the one who stopped to save me when I needed help," Rainbow said before picking up the one in question. "The tortoise!"

"Ah Tewld You," I said to Spike who just waves it off with a "Yeah, yeah."

"But what about the–" Twilight spoke, talking about the falcon who got off of Rainbow's back and while disappointed, the bird shook the tortoise's hand-er, leg, and walked away in a show of good sportsmanship.

"Huh, kinda expected the guy to be madder," Night said before shrugging.

Rainbow placed a hoof over the Tortoise's shell who looked up and smiled at the Pegasus...slowly.

"Wouldja look at that? He even smiles slow," AJ pointed out before we all burst out into Aw's and laughter.

"So, I suppose it's that time again," I said as it was now time for...

"Spike, take a letter. Dear Princess Celestia." There it is.

"So, what did we learn today?" I couldn't help asking.

"I used to think that the most important traits to look for in a pet, or any best friend, were all physical competitive abilities. But now I can see how short-sighted and shallow that was. Today I learned what the most important quality really is. A certain kind of spirit. A stick-to-it-ive-ness. A never give up, can-do attitude that's the mark of a real winner. And this tortoise has it."

"Tenacity," Twilight summarized into one word. And it's true, the little guy was determined if nothing else.

"Gesundheit," But Rainbow didn't understand, much to my amusement, and continued. "You just can't stop that little guy. He's like a... like a... Tank!"

Well, at least I have a name to put on the little guy-wait a minute. Tank? How does she know what a tank is? Do they have tanks here!?

"But Rainbow," Fluttershy spoke up whilst I was busy contemplating the thought of there being a dangerous war machine here in this world. "You didn't want a pet that couldn't fly because it would keep you grounded and hold you back, remember?"

"Hmm..." Rainbow hummed to herself before she glanced over at Night who noticed her look.

"What?"

"Hey Night, what was that thing you showed me yesterday? A heli-something."

"A helicopter?"

"Yeah, that!" If Rainbow had fingers, she would have snapped them, I bet. "You wouldn't happen to have something like that tortoise size, would you?"

"I...don't think so?" Night said, unsure until he glanced over at me and Stardust. "Unless..."

"...what?" We both said, wondering what the dark Pegasus was thinking.

(The Next Day)

"Stead...steady...and we have lift off," Stardust as we all watched Tank take to the skies thanks to the propellers on its shell.

"I can't believe we finished this in less than a day," I said as we all watched Tank fly around.

"I can't believe the parts we needed were all in your bag," Night said, throwing down the manual that told us how to construct the remote propeller. I can't help but feel that it should have taken us longer to finish this.

"Well, there is a reason why I call it Mary Poppins' bag," I said before turning to Rainbow. "So, will this do?"

"It's perfect! Thanks guys!" Rainbow smiled before flying off. "C'mon, Tank! We're gonna be late for our very first Pony Pet Playdate!"

The guys and I watched as the girls took off with their respective pets, playing with them in their own respective ways.

"I expect to be paid later," I said.

"Hush you," Stardust said. "We should be glad we were able to even contract those propellers what with our limbs being what they are."

"Says the guy with magic," I said before looking at the creature standing on the unicorn's back. "So what's with the eagle?"

"Well, I thought living by myself would be a bit lonely, and Fluttershy was kind enough to present me with a plethora of selections," Stardust said as he held out an arm and the eagle moved over to there. "His name is Richard Macguire, in case you're wondering."

"Is there any reason why you're calling it that?" I asked.

"His first name comes from the top-ranked WW2 pilot while the last name is from the number 2 ranked WW2 pilot."

"Okay," I raised an eyebrow at that. "You some kind of WW2 fan?"

"I merely have a passing interest."

"Okay...so why an eagle?" Night asked.

"For a few reasons one of which being-ahem," Stardust cleared his voice a little before speaking in an Italian accent, "'Nothing is true, Everything is permitted'."

Both Night and I look at Stardust in surprise. Those words...

"You're into that series too?"

"Played every one on Xbox 360, & 1," Stardust said before motioning the both of us to come closer, whispering, "And between you and I, I'm researching and developing a spell which replicates a particular item from Origins, and another for Eagle Vision."

"A particular item?" I raised an eyebrow at that. To hear that the guy was trying to find a way to replicate Eagle Vision sounded cool and all, but his mention of 'a particular item' set off alarms in my head. "And just what exactly is this 'item' you're trying to replicate?"

"Sorry, that's my secret," Stardust said, pulling away from us. "Just know that I do this for our benefit. We have no idea how strong this Dark character is or how far his influence is in this world. In my option, we need every advantage we can get, especially considering Night and I have no idea what our unique powers are."

"He's got a point," Said the dark-coated Pegasus.

"But are you sure you can pull it off?" I asked, slightly worried. Being an Earth Pony, I really have no idea how magic works in this world. The unicorn sounds sure of himself, but...

"Well, I was studying under Princess Luna before coming here. It's thanks to her that I have a good grasp on how magic works," Stardust said as he briefly lit up his horn. Still jealous at that. "But in any case, perhaps it's time we finally test the limits of Ash's powers."

"Oh! I'll go get my cloud!" Night smiled before taking off to go snatch a cloud up in the air. Glancing over at Stardust, I saw him levitate two boulders the size of him over.

I can already tell I'm not going to like this.

*Comes Out of Portal* And...done! Man, that should not have taken so long to do. Motivation is at an all-time low on this one. I did my best to make it as interesting as possible, but at this point, I'll take what I can get. That's not to say I think this chapter is bad, but I feel like I could have done better. At least I managed to include the other OC's, gotta remind everyone, myself included, that I'm not the only "man" in this story anymore. Not much happened except for the discovery of Ash's new Stand! I can already hear the JoJo fans shouting right now. I would elaborate more on Ash's/mine new powers, but it's still a work in progress. I'll just say that there's more Ash's "Stand" than you might think. What that means, well, you'll have to wait and see. In any case, I hope today's chapter was entertaining enough for you readers. Tune in next time where the gang and I go full-on Darkwing Duck! That should be fun. Until then, this has been Ashbel Longhart here, signing out. And like always *dusts off knuckle again* here comes the brohoof.

*Incoming Brohoof*

See you readers next time!