Okay, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it right now. Because of all the changes I've already made to the timeline, certain events and episodes in Season 2 and 3will either happen differently or not happen at all. For example, this story takes place before, during, and after the events of "The Bounce Lounge" but as you will soon see, certain aspects of that episode will play out much differently. With that said, Star vs the Forces of Evil is owned by Disney. Enjoy.
Flowers and Brimstone: Chapter 1.
(Echo Creek, California: Present Day)
"Nearly every ancient civilization on Earth has its own myth about the first Stand User and they're all about as different as the civilizations themselves." Jefferson explained, using a tone that was equal parts scholarly and showing off. "The Ancient Egyptians say she was a beautiful priestess who was blessed by the Goddess Bastet. The Persians on the other hand say he was a ruthless warrior king who made a throne out of the bones of his enemies. The Chinese say a fisherman. The Ethiopians say a hermit. Hell, even the Choctaws and the Blackfoots have their own crazy spin on it. However, the one thing that ties them all together, is that in each story, its said that the first Stand was created when its User was struck by a magic arrow."
"You mean like the one that hit you?" asked Annie; ever the inquisitive type.
"Bingo, Lightfoot. Which means we can confirm that at least that much of the old myths is true. But as for who created the arrow or why, I'm afraid that's something we may never know."
As Jefferson continued with his impromptu lecture, Jackie took the opportunity to let her mind wander.
It had been about three days since Marco's heroic triumph over the rogue Stand User Fats Dynamite, and things were starting to look up. According to their teacher, news of the former God of Destruction's defeat had spread throughout the Stand User Community like wildfire; apparently it was all anyone was talking about in the secret chatrooms. Because of this, many of the other enemy Users that had initially come to hunt them down were suddenly turning tail.
Using his vast network of contacts around the globe, along with the internet and Janna's pseudo omnipresent gaze over the neighborhood, Jefferson was able to determine that of the original eight-six that had been summoned by the psychic pulse only seven hostile entities remained within Echo Creek. Six of them were sticking together in a small group, indicating either a team up or some other form of collusion, while the remaining one seemed to be doing everything within his power to stay under the radar.
The crisis was far from over, hence the reason why they were still having regular training sessions in the park, but at least now it was on a more manageable scale, and for that the young skateboarder thanked her lucky stars.
On a whim, Jackie checked her watch. It was about a quarter to one. Per Jefferson's orders, weekend training sessions were to start at 11:30 sharp, but due to Star and Marco's absence, he elected to pass the time by rattling off a few of the important facts and life lessons he'd learned during his years as a globetrotting vagabond.
"Okay, here's another useful tidbit for you. Never mix beer and scotch." He said, briefly pausing for effect, but then scowled when he apparently didn't get the response he was hoping for. "Why did that get no reaction? You kids know what beer is, don't you? You know what scotch is, right? Well, don't mix them! Liquor before beer, never fear. Beer before liquor, throw up quicker."
"What about a boilermaker?" asked Annie, sounding genuinely interested.
"Those are good. I love those."
"But isn't that beer and scotch?"
"Yeah, but its not one before the other. Its beer and scotch mixed together. You drink them both at the same time. That's okay."
"Is there a rhyme for that?"
"Yes…"
However, before he could even try to recite it, Jefferson was suddenly cut off by the all too familiar sound of a portal opening. To no one's surprise, a large gapping hole in the skin of reality suddenly materialized less than ten feet away; through which walked their friend and fellow Stand User, the ever-cheerful Star Butterfly. But what was a surprise was the second unfamiliar figure who followed soon after.
At first glance she appeared to be just another teenage girl; albeit one with a pink and white striped shirt, large round rimmed glasses, and more hair than an afghan. But upon further inspection, Jackie soon realized that this mysterious girl was most certainly not human. Her skin was a dark earthen color and her aquamarine hair had a certain… pompom like quality to it that was difficult to describe. At any rate, whoever she was, the young skateboarder had to admit that she was kind of cute; even if she did look like someone just ran over her puppy.
"There, there, sweetie. It's alright." The Mewman Princess said to her bush-headed friend in a soothing sympathetic tone. "Everything's gonna be just fine."
"No, it won't." The shrub-like girl said despondently. "Nothing will ever be fine again. My life is over."
"No, don't say that, honey. You'll meet someone else."
"Oh, and what fresh hell is this." Jefferson mutter in exasperation before sauntering over to chew them both out. "Star, what the f***? You're over an hour late! And who the hell is this? I told you these training sessions are closed!"
"Jefferson." She replied, using that forcibly cheerful tone people use when they're trying not to upset someone. "This is my very dear friend Kelly. Who has just gone through an extremely messy breakup. And needs the support of a close friend to help her get through it. So, it would be a very good idea for you to stop yelling. Is that okay with you?"
"Oh… Crap." The older Stand User said, suddenly sounding ashamed and embarrassed. "I mean, Oh man, I am so sorry. Are you alright, sweetie?"
"I wish I was dead."
"O…kay… why don't you just go have a seat on the grass next to Jackie and we'll see what we can do for you. Sound good, hon?"
"Whatever." The shrub girl replied hollowly before trudging away from him like a soulless husk.
Once she was safely out of earshot, the older Stand User turned back towards Star and in a loud whisper he asked her,
"Star, what the hell is going on here?"
"Kelly's boyfriend Tad just broke up with her and she's not taking it very well."
"Yeah, I caught that part. I mean what is she doing here? Doesn't she have someone else who can help her with this? Like a councilor? Or her parents?"
"Uh… that's kind of a long story, but short version, her parents aren't gonna be any help."
"Okay, but doesn't she have any friends besides you? I mean, we're kind of in the middle of something right now."
"She came to me for support. I can't just pawn her off on someone else. Cone on, have a heart. Just let her hang out with us for a little while. Please~"
"Star, this isn't the Happy-Fun-Time-Cookie-Club. There's still a handful of psychos mincing around town. Things are bad enough without you throwing a suicidal bush girl into the mix."
"I think she's more dramatic than suicidal."
"Missing the point, Star."
"Oh, come on. She won't get in the way. I promise. Just let her stay~"
"Ugh…"
Jackie wanted to listen in on more of this conversation, but something suddenly brushed up against her; causing her to shift focus.
To little surprise, she saw the bush girl, Kelly if she remembered correctly, sitting right beside her; still looking bleak and despondent.
Feeling sympathetic, the young skateboarder decided to extend an olive branch.
"Uh… hey."
"Hey." The bush girl replied hollowly.
"So… your name's Kelly, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, I'm Jackie. It's nice to meet you."
"Whatever…"
"Alright ladies, listen up." Jefferson suddenly called out in a commanding voice; forcing everyone present to pay attention. "Now, you've all made remarkable progress with your training and you should all be very proud. However, so far, you've only tapped into a fraction of what your Stands are really capable of. So today we're gonna be doing something a little more interesting."
"Wait, what about Marco?" Jackie asked abruptly. "He isn't here yet. Shouldn't we wait for him?"
"Good question." He replied with a hint of venom in his voice, before turning his gaze toward his dark haired 'assistant'. "Janna, what's the verdict?"
Instead of answering right away, the young philopena merely closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. Then, after what felt like an eternity of silence, she reopened them and said,
"He's at a gas station about 1.2 miles from his house, standing in line to buy a hotdog. Do you want me to drag him here?"
"Ugh! No, just forget him. If that little son of a bitch wants to screw around, let him. Just check in on him every half hour to… er… make sure he's not in any danger."
Janna nodded understandingly, but Jackie was supremely confused.
Since defeating the villainous Stand Users, Fats and Nikki, Marco had been behaving very strangely. He still acted like himself, but it was the way he acted like himself that had her concerned. It was all so forced and insincere; almost like he was someone else pretending to be Marco. Janna and Jefferson were acting different too; always having private conversations and shooting Marco dirty looks. It was all so weird.
"Jackie, pay attention." The older Stand User said sternly; jarring her back to the present.
"Oh, uh… sorry." She said clumsily; blushing slightly from embarrassment.
"It's fine, just quit spacing out, alright." He replied, before switching back into lecture mode. "Now, as I was saying. Up 'til now, you've been using your Stands like blunt objects. Now you're going to learn how to use them like precise, delicate instruments. Janna, if you would."
Suddenly, a large black spot materialized on the ground next to Jefferson's feet and from it arose a large blue cooler and a stack of plastic cups. As if to demonstrate something, the older User picked up one of these cups and held it up for them all to see.
"For today's exercise, you'll each be given one of these. You will fill them up to the top using the sodas in the cooler; making sure that they're at that point where the liquid is just about to overflow. Then, using only your Stands, you will drop these into them." He explained, before showing them a handful of pennies that she assumed he'd just pulled out of his pocket. "If your cup overflows or gets knocked over, you refill it and start all over again. Once you can drop ten pennies into the cup without making a mess, you pass. Any questions?"
"Yeah, I got one." Said Star confusedly. "What does any of this have to do with getting stronger?"
"So glad you asked. You see, kiddies, it's like I've been saying all along; a Stand reacts to the User's thoughts and instincts, just like an arm or a leg. But right now, you kids can only make them do simply things like attack or defend. That's why it's important to train you Stand to do more complicated tasks; it'll give you better control on the battlefield. And once you've all got better control, we can start working on Overlaying."
"Overlaying? What's that?" Annie asked excitedly.
"One step at a time, Lightfoot. First let's work on this." He replied casually, before switching into drill sergeant mode. "Okay, ladies, here's how its gonna work. Drop ten pennies into the cup without spilling, you pass. The cup overflows, you fill it back up and start over. Your head starts hurting, you take a fifteen-minute break. Your nose or ears start bleeding, you're done for the day. And we're gonna keep doing this every day until you all get it right. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." The girls all said in unison.
"Good. Now let's get to work."
End Notes:
Sorry if this chapter was a little boring, but things will pick up soon enough.
Hope you had fun reading it and I'll see you in the next one.
Peace.