//------------------------------// // Chapter Forty One: Night Blade, Xvital // Story: The Pieces Lie Where They Fell // by Evilhumour //------------------------------// Chapter Forty-One Night Blade A day later, Night Blade stood to one side of the gym, doing his best to avoid looking at the female students who were eyeing him with bright smiles. I will have to have words with Flash about his choice in music, he thought to himself as he fingered his Element, which Pinkie had insisted he and the others should wear for the big event. These girls seem to have taken the lyrics from one of his songs to heart. Every girl here is indeed crazy about a sharp dressed man... and unfortunately that man is me. At least the rest of the students were out having fun on the dance floor, moving their bodies to the music supplied by Flash's band, Flash Drive. Flash himself had taken a break from performing to join Vix-Lei and Bulk Biceps on the dance floor - and how the transformed minotaur managed to evenly dance with both of them at the same time he still didn't know. He also wasn't sure why Bulk had chosen to wear a pink suit of all things, but Vix-Lei seemed to like it. The five human Bearers were having a good time as well, from what he could see. Pinkie and Maud were doing a surprisingly good tango across the dance floor, the latter wearing a floor-length blue gown covered in lighter blue spots that Rarity had immediately swooned over when she had first seen it earlier that evening, calling it "absolutely gorgeous". Applejack was doing some kind of bouncy dance as her brother seemed to be walking in place in front of her, Rainbow Dash seemed to be just standing in one place and shaking her body as a small crowd of boys cheered, and Rarity had found a dance partner of her own, some boy that Night Blade didn't recognize. Fluttershy was mostly staying off to one side, but she seemed to be having a rather lively conversation with a green-haired boy in a brown suit and a pin with an unfamiliar green triangular symbol. Sandalwood, Night Blade thought his name was. Xvital, in the meantime, had also settled off to one side of the room, sipping a glass of punch and keeping an eye on a couple of students who seemed to be heading for the exit with some... illicit intentions in mind, until they realized they'd caught her eye and headed back towards the dance floor. Night Blade's eyes drifted to Page, who was out dancing with Rex, the two appearing to be rather enjoying themselves. A minute later, as the song changed, Rex gracefully let Wind Breaker cut in, dancing away with the other man's previous partner - a girl with straight green hair, a red and black dress and a musical note of some kind on her necklace - as Wind Breaker and Page happily began dancing together. Suddenly, he felt himself pulled onto the floor as a familiar blonde giggled. "Dance with me!" she exclaimed. "I- I shouldn't," he tried to say. But Derpy ignored his protests, and soon the two were sweeping around the dance floor. Sighing, Night Blade tried to relax, until suddenly he felt too many fingers grasping one hand, and looked down to see he was now in front of a startled Page. Looking over, he saw Wind Breaker and Derpy dance away, the blonde girl winking at them before she and Wind Breaker disappeared into the crowd. "Well," he managed. "This was unexpected." "Yes," Page agreed, looking in the direction the other two had gone off in. "We have so been set up." "Quite." Night Blade tried to hide his pained expression. "What I would like to know is when they set it up." "With this crowd, who knows?" Page sighed. "Though... since they went to all this trouble, we should probably dance." "Certainly." As the nox pony-turned-human and Page began twirling around the dance floor, she looked somewhat distant, and finally sighed. "Night..." "Don't." Night Blade looked at her. "Let's just... not think about that, please? It was the worst mistake of my life, and if I knew then what I knew now, I never would have done it." "All right." Page still looked troubled. "You know, he said the longer I kept quiet, the more the fallout would be." "He who?" "Balance, when I first got my Element." She sighed. "I should have listened to him..." "And I should have kept better hold of my temper that day," Night Blade replied. "But we can't change the past. We can only work towards the future." "You're right." A faint smile appeared on her face. "And once this whole... situation... is over, both here and in Equestria... well, maybe we can start over." "I think I'd like that," Night Blade agreed. Suddenly, something tapped him on the back and he looked to see a shorter girl with wide eyes and long pink hair in a shade almost identical to Pinkie's, but in a style rather different from either hers or Fluttershy's. She wore fuzzy pink boots, a white shirt with a pink heart on it, and a blue skirt. Once she had caught their attention, she held up her hands, and smiled shyly. Page smiled back. "Have fun, you two." "Puchuu!" the girl squeaked, shaking her head. She pointed to Page. "You want both of us?" Page asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mmm!" "Okay." Page smiled, and took one of the girl's hands, while Night Blade took her other. This made the girl's smile grow even wider, and very soon all three of them were quite happily twirling around the dance floor. After several minutes of this, the girl finally let go, and gave them another big smile before wandering into the crowd. "Is it just me, or did she seem to be a little young for this school?" Page asked as she took Night Blade's free hand again. "It's not just you," Night Blade said. "But she seemed nice enough." "Yes," Page smiled. "She did." Xvital Meanwhile, in her side of the room, Xvital took another sip of her punch and smiled. At least Night and Page are doing better, she thought to herself. Wonder who the kid was though. Her musings were interrupted as the music faded out, and she started looking towards the front of the room to see the start of what she'd been expecting, as Principal Celestia, still wearing her normal business outfit, stepped onto the stage. "Attention! Attention, everyone!" the older woman called, as the students looked up toward her. "First of all, I would like to thank this year's Fall Formal Planning Committee for all their hard work." Xvital silently raised her glass. She could agree on that - the gym looked great. "Second," Principal Celestia continued, "It is my sad duty to report that there will be no Fall Formal Princess this year." Whispers of "Huh?" and "What?" filled the room, and Principal Celestia waited for them to settle back down before she continued speaking. "The reason for that is because there was only one candidate for it this year, who was... disqualified yesterday due to a serious breach in school rules. Nobody else has stepped forward to run in her place. However!" She raised a hand. "That does not mean we are not handing out the crown." Whispers again filled the room for a moment, and again Principal Celestia spoke. "Would our new assistant teachers please approach the podium?" Xvital stepped up, the others right behind her. "Here, ma'am." "Thank you, Miss Xvital." Principal Celestia looked to the students. "We have discovered that our only candidate for Fall Formal Princess, Sunset Shimmer, had in fact stolen a near-replica of our Fall Formal crown from Miss Xvital as she and her companions were passing by the school two days ago. On behalf of everyone at CHS, I would like to apologize for her behavior, and to return what is rightfully yours." Doing her best to act poised as she walked on stage, Xvital smiled as she accepted the crown. "Thank you, Principal Celestia," she said. "And everyone, for all you've done to make us feel welcome these last few days." Just then, there was a loud commotion outside, and a student dashed in. "Principal Celestia! It's Sunset Shimmer! She's outside, and... well, come see for yourself!" Xvital and the others exchanged glances. "We'd better go," she said. "Sunset's got to be doing this to get my crown again." "Then it is up to us to foil whatever she's up to," Rex said. Grinning, Vix-Lei pumped one arm excitedly. “So come on! Let’s go give Sunset Shimmer the foiling of her life!” ”… Make a note: 'foiling' doesn't sound very intimidating,” Night Blade said dryly. Still grinning, Vix-Lei made a face at him, causing the others to laugh. Then they rushed outside, with several students, Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna right after them. Outside, Sunset was waiting, carrying a large sledgehammer. Snips and Snails, looking somewhat nervous, were right behind her. "I see you've come with my crown," she said. "Good. I won't have to smash this then." She gestured to the Wondercolts statue. "This is your only way home, you know. I could so easily cut it off in an instant... but I'd rather not. So give me the crown, now." "Sunset, why are you doing this‽" a voice suddenly cried out. Flash Sentry, who had been part of the crowd, stepped forward. "This isn't you." "Isn't it?" Sunset glared. "You never really understood me, did you? I came here because my teacher decided I wasn't worthy. I came here to prove her wrong. And now those six are trying to deny me my destiny!" Flash looked back to them in confusion. "Miss Vix-Lei, what is she talking about?" "It's simple," Xvital said before Vix-Lei could open her mouth. "Sunset Shimmer is originally from an alternate dimension. So are we. And we came here to get back the artifact she stole from me." "That crown is rightfully mine," Sunset snapped. "If anyone's the thief, it's you." "Not this time," Xvital shot back. "I was chosen. We all were. Not you." "Oh, really?" Sunset's face turned ugly. "Well who or whatever chose you chose wrong. And I'm going to prove it! Get them!" With what they obviously thought were threatening battle cries, Snips and Snails charged, and Vix-Lei, with a whirl of her coat, dodged them. “What I wouldn’t give to have Lady Kabonk right now!” she complained. “Hold it right there you two!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she ran between the pair and Xvital, their obvious target, only to be knocked on her back when they held out their arms and slammed into her. “Hey!” she yelled as she fell to the ground. “Go long!” Xvital called as she tossed the crown towards Principal Celestia, only for Snails to leap and intercept it. Tossing it back to Snips, he let out a cry of dismay as Applejack caught it with her lasso (and how she’d managed to keep that hidden in her dress, Xvital didn’t know), sending it flying back towards the school and towards the Principals. Unfortunately, it didn’t reach them; instead, there was a loud smack of metal against flesh as the crown’s trajectory took it somewhere else. Right into Sunset Shimmer’s face. Seizing hold of the crown, Sunset glared. “That hurt,” she snapped. “But it doesn’t matter. At last, the Element of Magic is mine!” And with that, she lowered it onto her head. Instantly, there was a flash of light… And then a cyan column of pure magic began lifting Sunset into the air. Inside, enveloped in black flames, they could see a metamorphosis happening, and when the flames and light cleared, there was a horrific sight before them. Sunset Shimmer was now taller, her amber skin turned to red, her hands turned into claws and a pair of red and black bat-like wings on her back. Her hair had become literal fire, and had extended down her back in a form somewhat resembling a pony’s tail. Instead of her normal clothes, she now wore a flaming skirt and black top. She gasped in delight as she saw her new form, revealing glittering fangs. “Ah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah!” the now transformed girl cackled. Then she turned and blasted Snips and Snails, instantly transforming them into blue and orange creatures similar to herself. “You two will do for starters,” she said. “Now I just need to build up the rest of my army… beginning with them!” She gestured to the two stunned women at the door. “Sunset Shimmer, I don’t know why you’re doing this, but it has to stop, now!” Principal Celestia called to the girl. Sunset snorted. “Oh please, like you’re one to talk. It’s what your counterpart did that caused this in the first place!” Luna and Celestia exchanged glances. “I don’t understand,” the elder sister said. “What counterpart? What are you talking about?” “It’s simple,” Sunset replied, a nasty smirk on her face. “Each and every one of you here has a version of you in that other world I came from. Your counterpart was its ruler! And I was her prized student! But then she forced me out… just like she did her own sister. Oh, sure there was the little matter of dear Luna falling under some terrible curse that made her into a monster… but when I got too close to becoming an alicorn like them, she decided I wasn’t worthy! She, who already had three Elements and dared take the powers of the rest from her only family and use them to imprison her!” She curled her lip. “But they got the last laugh… the Elements themselves decided she wasn’t worthy after she turned them against the only other pony who could use their power, and went away for a millennium. Then they found new Bearers… and if not for her ego, I would have been one of those Bearers!” Principal Celestia’s mouth was open in shock. “That’s…” she turned to look at Luna. “How could I… could she have done such a thing to you?” “It wasn’t you, sister,” Luna said firmly as she rested her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “Or me. It was a different person from either of us.” She gazed up at Sunset Shimmer. “And I suspect our wayward student is letting her own ego distort the facts.” “Oh really? And I suppose you know better?” Sunset gave her an ugly look. “I grew up in Equestria; I know the legends better than anyone here! And now, thanks to these six, I know that your other, and hers as well, are both dead!” Luna stared at her in horror, but Sunset ignored her. “And now,” she snapped. “It’s time for me to go home… to take what should have been mine all along!” “Not if we can help it,” Rainbow Dash suddenly said as she stepped in front of the two women. “You fool,” Sunset snarled. "You are not going to stop me. Not this time! I am going back to Equestria... I am going to show them why I am the rightful heir to Celestia’s throne! And I am going to find the one who killed my teacher and rip their stinking heart out with my bare hooves!" Page stepped forward. "No, you won't," she said quietly. "Because Chrysalis is already dead. She has been for close to a thousand years. After..." she closed her eyes for a moment. "After King Blueblood the Great took her head and avenged everypony who died because of her." "Blueblood? That ridiculous fool?" Sunset snarled again. "He couldn't even swat a fly, let alone avenge the greatest pony who ever lived!" "He did," Page said. "Equestria may have lost its innocence at the end of that war... but we gained a great leader." “Bah!” Sunset spat. “He was worthless, and we all know it.” “Hey, Ah may not know much about who or what yer talkin’ about, but I’m not about to let you insult a hero like that,” Applejack interrupted, stepping up beside Rainbow Dash. “And neither will I!” Rarity added as she joined them. “Me neither!” Pinkie Pie called. “Or… m-m-me,” Fluttershy said nervously as she and Pinkie both ran up to the others. “Fools,” Sunset snarled. “If that’s what you feel… then burn!” Conjuring up a massive ball of flame, she threw it at the five girls. Instantly, there was a flash of light, as the five were enveloped in a glittering magenta energy. Looks of confusion were evident all around, but none were more surprised than Sunset Shimmer herself. "What... what's happening‽ she cried. "Of course!" Xvital's eyes lit up. "You said it yourself, these things don't like it when someone tries to use them against one of their wielders! And you just tried to turn one against the local Bearers of the other five. I'm guessing they really don't like that... so they're all turning their powers back against you!" She grinned. "The powers of... Honesty!" The crossbow-shaped gem on Wind Breaker's Element lit up, pouring energy over Applejack as she began to grow pony ears, her hair extending down until it matched the shape of her pony self's tail. "Kindness!" Page's book-shaped gem glowed as Fluttershy's own pony ears formed, and her hair mimicked her pony self's tail, but a set of wings also appeared on her back. "Laughter!" The hammer-shaped gem around Vix-Lei's necklace did its thing, and Pinkie's ears grew as her already poofy hair extended into an equally poofy tail. "Generosity!" Rex's potion bottle gem gave its energy to Rarity as her ears and mane-tail formed; she also developed a tiny nub of a horn on her forehead. "Loyalty!" The red sword-shaped gem on Night Blade's element shot Rainbow Dash, giving her the same wings and pony ears as Fluttershy, albeit in her own colors, and her messy rainbow mane extended into an equally messy rainbow-colored tail. "And now, they're going to show you what a mistake you've made here tonight," Xvital concluded. "Girls? Sic 'er." Five girls nodded, and as they began to levitate into the sky, energies surrounding them, a bolt of multi-colored light struck Sunset Shimmer, racing around her at speeds faster than anyone could make out. Two smaller bolts shot out and struck Snips and Snails, and in an instant, the two boys were on the ground, back to normal. As a loud piercing scream emitted from the rainbow, it faded… leaving only a massive crater… And Sunset Shimmer, her form back to normal save for the bruises on her face, the disheveled hair and the tears streaming from her eyes. “What… what have I done‽” she whimpered. Xvital stepped forward. “You tried to play with forces you couldn’t understand,” she said. “And they turned on you.” “I… I am so sorry,” Sunset cried. “We’re not the ones you have to apologize to,” Page said firmly but kindly. “They are.” She gestured to the other staff and students, including five still transformed girls. Looking up at the others, Sunset’s eyes widened. “Can… can you ever forgive me?” Applejack was the first to step forward. “Aww shoot,” she said. “‘Course we can! Long as you promise to never act like that again!” “I promise, I promise!” “Then we can forgive you.” Applejack held out a hand, pulling Sunset out of her crater. Nearby, Principal Celestia coughed. “But you’re still suspended,” she said. “Given what you’ve told us, I think we can understand the… extenuating circumstances. But rules are rules.” Sunset nodded. “I know.” Behind them, Xvital turned to the others. “I think it’s about time for us to go,” she said quietly. “WAIT!” a familiar voice called, as Bulk Biceps ran up, looking at Vix-Lei. “Can we have… one more dance?” he asked. “I think we can arrange that,” Vix-Lei said, eyeing him with a friendly smirk. “Whadda ya say, guys?” Xvital held one hand against the back of her head, but smiled. “Sure.”