CMC's Stand Consultation Agency: Case 1 (MLPxJOJO)


                                            Originally posted on August 24th, 2018 in the MLPxJojo thread


                                            >The brand new "Stand Consultation Agency" is bursting with clients.

                                            >Or at least that's a way of seeing it.

                                            >There are only four in the office, Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and their first ever client.

                                            >It was a stout looking man who spent the few minutes since he entered the office playing with his suspenders and his magnificent moustache.

                                            >The CMC didn't expect to see a grown man come to visit them, having considered this new job akin to helping other foals to get or understand their cutie marks.

                                            >But if that man was willing to take their humble clubhouse/office seriously, then they would gladly return the favor.

                                            >"So Mr...?" Begins Sweetie Bell, having previously won against her peers when deciding who would interview first in a game of pony rock, paper, scissors.

                                            >>"Jeronimo" the man answers with a snap of his suspenders and a nice attitude.

                                            >"Could you tell us a bit about yourself?" Sweetie asks, glad that they were starting on a good note.

                                            >The man was about to start when Applebloom interjects.

                                            >>>"You kin tell us ahbout yer ability while you are aht it."

                                            >Not falling behind, the man begins to talk.

                                            >>"Well, ever since I was a kid, I was a walking disaster."

                                            >>>>"You were bad at walking?" asks Scootaloo in a hurry.

                                            >>"Among other things, yes. I was clumsy, gullible and prone to failure."

                                            >The Crusaders knew when to let somepony, or hyooman in this case, vent their frustrations. It was best to let all worries out at the start so that the rest of the consultation proceeded smoothly.

                                            >>"I had a severe upbringing. My parents punished every mistake and encouraged victory."

                                            >>>>"How severe are we talking about here?"

                                            >>"This one time when I was a toddler we were on a family picnic when I tripped on a rock. So they tied me up to a bicycle and dragged me around the park saying I should have learned how to walk by then."

                                            >The Crusaders weren't sure if that was a form of abuse or not.

                                            >They didn't know what a bicycle was.

                                            >Most likely a hyooman thing.


                                            >>"Don't get me wrong, I loved my parents. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have finished school."

                                            >"That's so sweet!"

                                            >>"And then they died, so I jumped from a building to kill myself."

                                            >...

                                            >Even if they had to, none of the crusaders dare to be the first to speak.

                                            >>"It's ok girls. I didn't die."

                                            >>>"We noticed!" blurts out AB.

                                            >>"You see, no matter how hard I tried, I just remained floating in place."

                                            >>>>"You can fly!" says Scoots excited.

                                            >>"Not exactly."

                                            >>>>"You can float!"she continues to try to guess.

                                            >>"I..."

                                            >>>>"Then you can hover?"

                                            >With a speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud, Scootaloo blitz towards their client and bucks the chair he is sitting on.

                                            >"Scootaloo!" squeaks Sweetie at her friend.

                                            >>"It's ok, I don't mind." says Jeronimo, still sitting perfectly straight... in the air.

                                            >The crusader's eyes sparkle in awe.

                                            >>"You see my stand ability makes me, or anything that I do for that matter, unable to [FALL]."

                                            >Sweetie, in an unexpected show of professionalism, begins to write down furiously.

                                            >>>"Mr. Jeronimo, what did you do after that?" Asks Applebloom, trying to both keep getting information out of him for Sweetie Bell and subtly hint Scootaloo to get out from under him.

                                            >>"The usual I guess. Since I couldn't fall asleep anymore I focused on studying and landed a good job, where of course I never fell behind on..."

                                            >>>"You can't sleep!" she interrupts." How do you not go crazy!"

                                            >>"I think the ability prevents my mind from falling apart."

                                            >"So he can't [FALL] both physically or metaphorically." mumbles Sweetie Bell.

                                            >>"Yeah, the moment I realized that I became a stockholder."

                                            >>>>"I bet you can't be pranked either!"

                                            >>"Haven't fallen for those in years."

                                            >>>"Ah don't get it Mister, why would you need our help if you are doing so well?"

                                            >Sweetie stops writing and Scoots returns to her seat.

                                            >They lean in waiting for his answer.

                                            >>"I want to learn how to turn it off."


                                            >>>>"Why?" asks Scootaloo, the idea of not being able to do something similar to flying seems preposterous to her,"You can do so much with it."

                                            >>"That's true, yes. But... I feel I'm missing out on many good things... probably."

                                            >Not convinced about it, Scootaloo trots over to a box in a corner of the club house and rummages through it.

                                            >Shortly, she returns with a little book titled "Ponebridge Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs".

                                            >>>>"Sooo if you can't [FALL], then you also couldn't...laugh in a group..."

                                            >>"Ohhh so that's why I can only laugh by my own."

                                            >>>"He also cain't rely on help!" says Applebloom taking the dictionary from Scoot's hooves.

                                            >>"That would defeat the purpose of coming here."

                                            >>>>"It says 'rely on help during an emergency'!" Scootaloo corrects her while wrestling the dictionary back from AB.

                                            >>>>"You can't lose hair, have things in your jurisdiction, be infatuated, do things unplanned-"

                                            >"WHAT!?" screams Sweetie Bell." HE CAN'T FALL IN LOVE?"

                                            >>>"Or have an argument with somepony."

                                            >Sweetie cups Jeronimo's cheeks in a violent but reassuring way.

                                            >"Don't worry Mister. We will make you able to love-

                                            >>"Turn off my stand."

                                            >"-in no time!"


                                            >The Crusaders group under their thinking spot.

                                            >>>"What do we know so far?"

                                            >"His ability triggered when he tried to kill himself."

                                            >>>>"Maybe we can trick him into trying to kill himself again?"

                                            >"Like a shock therapy!"

                                            >>"I won't fall for that." says Jeronimo from the other end of the room, hearing the whole conversation perfectly.

                                            >>>"Ah don't think that's the way to solve it." says AB while reading Sweetie's notes.

                                            >"Perhaps we could get a clue from his stand name!"

                                            >>>>"What was your stand name again?"

                                            >Jeronimo looks at them incredulously.

                                            >>"What do you mean by name?"

                                            >>>>"You know, it's how you call out your stand."

                                            >>>"It usually is like a reference of a song."

                                            >"And you say it in a cool way that can only be written between ｢ brackets｣!"

                                            >>"I don't have a name for it."

                                            >"Didn't you 'feel it' when you jumped from that bridge?"

                                            >Jeronimo just shrugs.

                                            >>>>"Maybe that's the problem? I thought you needed to know the stand's name to activate it."

                                            >>>"Ah heard of some ponies who named their stand AFTER getting them. It's not that weird."

                                            >Sweetie keeps reading her notes.

                                            >There was something that didn't add up to her...

                                            >"Sir? What were you thinking when you jumped from that bridge."

                                            >>"I was... thinking of my parents, " he says melancholically "and how happy I'd be if I met them again."

                                            >Like a circuit being re-linked, the light bulb above her head lits up, and then everything makes sense for Sweetie.

                                            >"I know what's going on!"

                                            >>"You do?"

                                            >"It's your parents!"


                                            >>"What do you mean?"

                                            >"Your stand doesn't let you [FALL], just like them!"

                                            >>>"Wait, are you saying what I think you are saying?" asks AB, the light bulb getting brighter.

                                            >>>>"Uhhh...What IS she saying?" the light bulb gets dimmer.

                                            >"Nopony is able to have a stand active for so long without being strained." explains Sweetie.

                                            >>>>"Unless it is an automatic ability."

                                            >"That's right, but not one so strong and even less without knowing its name."

                                            >>"What are you trying to say?" asks Jeronimo trying to understand the fine details of how different kinds of stands work.

                                            >"Ruling out Equestrian magic or bizarre artifacts, there is only one way for a stand to be so powerful."

                                            >Scootaloo gasps.

                                            >>>>"A stand that activates after the user dies!"

                                            >The light bulb explodes with their realization, making the little ponies scatter to avoid the shards of glass.

                                            >>>>"We need to get that fixed."

                                            >Trying to be as nonchalant as they can about what just happened, the crusaders return to their shared desk.

                                            >>>"Ahem, sir. We have concluded that you are not a stand user."

                                            >>"I'm not?"

                                            >"Nope. You are just under the influence of a stand."

                                            >>>>"Your parent's stand!"

                                            >>"Does that mean... that I won't be able to turn it off?"

                                            >>>"Ahm afraid not. But that doesn't need to be a bad thing!"

                                            >"That's right. The ability you are under is a manifestation of your parent's feelings to protect you no matter what happens. In a way, it is as if they were always with you!"

                                            >>>>"And you get to keep all the cool powers for free!"

                                            >Applebloom socks Scootaloo in the head.

                                            >>>>"I mean, feelings and stuff, yeah."

                                            >>"This certainly wasn't what I expected."

                                            >>>>"Would you say, " she checks the dictionary, "that yor expectations [FELL THROUGH]?"

                                            >Sweetie and Applebloom groan at the pun.

                                            >>"On the contrary. All this time I believed this power was preventing me from experiencing good things, but it was protecting me all along. If anything, you girls exceded my expectations."

                                            >The crusaders beam with joy.

                                            >Jeronimo hands them over a bag of bits and leaves, not without assuring he'll recommend their services.

                                            >Thus concludes their first job.

                                            >If you ever feel confused about your stand powers, feel free to visit Ponyville.

                                            >The Crusaders will always lend a hoof to help.