Growing Tension Between Rivals, And A Brawl Threatens Canterlot! Sunset Finally Snaps!
Of all the things Bage could've expected that morning, getting the cold shoulder wasn't one of them. Sunset wasn't even willing to train with him, and his normal quips and friendly jabs were met with a stony glare and silence. As if that wasn't enough, his and Shining's little discussion yesterday had spawned slanderous rumors about the two of them. All of them painted him in a rather bad light. Despite that, he knew they were just rumors, so he ignored them. Sunset, on the other hand, refused to even speak to him, and he couldn't figure out why. Even Celestia seemed reluctant to speak about the matter.
'Ok, seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Why is everyone acting like I'm suddenly the worst thing on the planet?' Bage thought as he headed to the training area. Sunset was already there waiting, but the look she threw his way made it obvious she wasn't happy about being there. "You look pissed. What, did they run out of coffee?" Sunset didn't answer, just sneering and looking off to the side. "Are you still giving me the silent treatment? What did I even do?" Sunset huffed and walked off, leaving Bage confused, and a little agitated.
At this point, his entire day was thrown off, so he figured he'd figure things out from the only pony he knew that was willing to get involved in gossip; Cadance. Canterlot's newest crowned princess, and one who was more than willing to engage in rumor spreading. He didn't know her very well, but she would be his best bet to find out what the hell was going on. The only issue was finding her. Sensing her ki, it felt like she was in the southern part of the castle.
'Bingo. Now to get to the bottom of this.' He took to the air, and flew around to the south end of the castle, seeing her trotting through the garden with a couple of unicorns he didn't recognize. Landing a short distance away, he walked up to the group. "Honestly, of all the ponies to go dating a non-equestrian, Sunset is the last I'd expect. Not to mention, he's not even from this planet, I can't even imagine how the relationship would even work." The group was in a rather lengthy gossip session about Sunset, and it didn't take much to connect the dots on the rest. He cleared his throat, causing the group to jump "Oh, um, Bage! What a surprise, we were just-" one of the unicorns started to say, but a quick look shut her down.
"You two, leave. Cadance, you and I need to talk. ALONE." Bage pointed towards the castle, while the two other ponies quickly trotted off.
"Oh, of course! What's this about?" Cadance gave a nervous smile but quickly wilted under Bage's stern glare.
"Look, I don't give a shit what you say about anyone else in this city, but leave me and Sunset out of it, you hear me?" Bage stared her dead in the eyes as she quickly nodded and made to leave, but Bage sped in front of her. "I'm not finished. Who the hell started that rumor, and where can I find them? Cause I need to pay them a, what do you call it?"
"A visit?" Cadance offered.
"A beating, yeah. I need to go pay them a beating." Bage stared at a statue across the way, that looked a little familiar. "Now tell me who started it." Cadance gulped, unsure what to say. "Well? I don't have all day."
"I don't know for sure! I heard it from my friends, and they heard it from some of the more influential nobles! That's all I know, I swear!" Cadance spouted quickly, causing Bage to groan.
"Great, and it's always a pain to try and figure out the nobles' BS." Bage crossed his arms, hovering off the ground.
"Well, maybe I could help you? I mean, I haven't been here for very long, but I've already had a bunch of nobles trying to suck up to me. It's kind of annoying, to be honest." Bage glanced at her but didn't reply. "I can ask around and find out who started this whole gossip web for you. It might take a few days, but I promise I'll do what I can to try and quell all of this."
Bage glanced at her again and sighed. "Fine, but you'd better find out who caused all of this, or we're gonna find out how good your magic is when you're plummeting to the ground at 32ft per second squared." Cadance was a little shocked at that.
"Ok, one, I have wings, I can just fly. Two, how do you know that equation?" Cadance asked. Bage lifted two fingers and shot a ki ring at her, which closed around her barrel and pinned her wings down.
"First, if you can't use your wings, how can you fly? Second, just cause I'm always sparring and training doesn't mean I'm an idiot. Celestia is pretty insistent on me reading, so I have to read something at least before I can do what I enjoy doing. I've picked up quite a bit on a couple of subjects. Don't get me wrong, it's still boring, but I at least try and retain most of it." Bage looked over at the statue again, walking over to it. "This statue, what do you know about it?" Bage asked but got no answer. He looked back and noticed Cadance was gone. "Of course."
He looked back at the statue, and read the plaque. "This statue represents Discord or disharmony amongst pony kind. Commonly referred to as the Spirit of Chaos, Discord was responsible for the dark time known as the Chaotic Age. It's this period in Equis' history that the most dangerous and wicked creatures to ever exist were created, and still roam Equestria today. A few examples include manticores, chimeras, and changelings. Hmm, so you're the reason we're in this mess. It makes sense that all this started with you. If you were still around I'd turn you into an ornate rug." Bage turned to walk away, but a cold chill went up his spine as the wind suddenly changed. It almost felt like someone had laughed in his ear.
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With Sunset avoiding him, Bage was forced to find other ways to occupy his time. Training by himself could only get him so far, and there wasn't anyone else aside from Celestia that was strong enough to train with. "This is bullshit. When I find out who started this shit, they're gonna forget how to eat solid food." As he passed the throne room, he caught part of a conversation, and stopped to listen.
"...all I'm saying is that perhaps you should keep an eye on him auntie. I know how you feel about Sunset, and that 'monkey' is a bad influence on her. Teaching her all those violent techniques, it's no wonder she has anger issues. Not to mention him trying to court her, he's just a brute that doesn't belong here."
"I understand, nephew. However I firmly believe that this is all a misunderstanding. His training with Sunset is actually a boon in disguise, as the two of them may be the only ones who can stand up the the threat of the changeling queen. If he is attempting to court Sunset, then I shall have a word with him, but with no evidence there is no reason for me to get involved. Sunset is old enough to make her own decisions after all."
Figures, they were talking about him, and it seems he had found the culprit behind the gossip; Blueblood. He sensed the prince heading toward the door and sped around the corner. The doors to the throne room opened fully and he heard the clopping of hooves coming toward the corner he had hid around. As Blueblood came into view, he grabbed him and put a hand over his mouth, pulling him close. "Well, lookie what I caught. A spoiled little brat talking smack. Wonder what I should do with him?" Bage asked as Blueblood struggled in his grip. His horn lit, but Bage grabbed it to stop his magic. "So you're the one that started all these little whispers about me and Sunset. I guess you saved me a long search, little prince. How's about I show you how I feel about all this?" He squeezed Bluebloods horn, tilting his hand to the side as if to break it off. Blueblood screamed through Bages hand, his eyes looking about frantically. "I've always wanted to snap you in half like a twig, but your nose is always planted firmly in Celestias ass all the time, so I could never get you alone. Thanks for making my job a little easier." Just as he was about to jerk his hand down, a golden glow pulled Blueblood out of his grip.
"BAGE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO HIM?!" Celestia shouted, as Blueblood ran around her and down the hall.
"Teaching." Bage crossed his arms, his expression falling flat.
"And what, exactly, were you 'teaching' him?" Celestia inquired, a disapproving frown on her face.
"I was going to teach him what happens when you spread false rumors about people. You know, a little lesson in keeping his spoiled mouth shut." Bage returned Celestias frown with one of his own.
"If you have a problem with him, you talk to me. You do not threaten him with violence. If I had not walked out here when I did, you would have crippled him for life." Celestia scolded.
"Please, as if you would punish him properly. Everytime someone complains about him, you just sweep it under the rug. Maybe if he actually got proper punishment, he wouldn't be so insufferable." Bage leaned against a pillar, and Celestia sighed.
"Bage, I understand that Blueblood can be... IS... a spoiled brat, but breaking his horn off is not the way to teach him anything. It will only make things worse. On another note, I had Cadance tell me something distressing as well. Did you threaten her in the garden?" Celestia asked, and when Bage didn't respond, she shook her head. "I figured as much. Bage, I cannot have you threatening my niece and nephew whenever they so much as say something you don't like. They are my family, and they're important to me."
"I'm gonna be honest, I wouldn't've given a shit if they were only talking about me, but when they started talking about me and Sunset, that's when I decided to do something. What the hell did she do to have them talking behind her back?" Bage countered, to which Celestia looked away.
"Sunset has never been on good terms with the nobility, but she is more than capable of handling such issues on her own." Bage snorted at that, looking her in the eye.
"Oh, is that right? Then explain why she's been giving me the silent treatment and avoiding me? She's been acting like I'm the spawn of King Cold, and she won't even train with me. I'm pretty sure Blueblood is the cause of it all too."
"I'm sure he is, but petty violence will only cause those rumors to worsen, and If Sunset is upset with you, then perhaps you should try and talk to her instead of-" Celestia was cut off by a shout from down the hall.
"BAAAGE!" Sunset's voice rang out from down the hall.
"What was that you were saying, Celestia?" Bage asked before a red and gold streak slammed into him, and sent him flying out a stained glass window. Celestia sighed, covering her eyes with a wing.
"I never liked that window anyway, but I have a feeling that it's only the beginning." Celestia heard a BOOM from outside, as a another window spontaneously shattered.
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Bage covered his face as best he could from the flurry of blows Sunset was hitting him with, but she was relentlessly hitting him anywhere she could. "Grh, I assume you're still, Ngh, upset?" His question was answered by a hoof to the face, and he felt his nose crack. Sunset spun in midair and bucked him in the stomach, sending him flying into the shield.
"DOES THAT ANSWER YOU'RE QUESTION, YOU MONKEY-BRAINED DUMBASS?! MY ENTIRE DAY HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TERRIBLE THANKS TO YOUR LITTLE 'CONVERSATION' WITH SHINING ARMOR YESTERDAY!" Sunset screamed, firing a barrage of ki blasts at him. The blast struck all around him, as smoke burned his eyes and throat, making him cough. "YOU AND HE MANAGED TO SINGLEHOOVEDLY RUIN MY REPUTATION IN AS LITTLE AS TWELVE HOURS! I'M A CELESTIA-DAMNED LAUGHING STOCK THANKS TO YOU!" Another ki blast struck him in the stomach, giving no time to retaliate. She sped forward an dug a hoof into his gut, making him cough up bile. Bage managed to dip to the right to avoid another blow, but took another hit to the face, sending him spiraling to the ground.
"Rrgh, in my defense, I didn't start that conversation. That was Shining ArmAUGH-" A kick to the chest cut him off, sending him backwards into a wall.
"SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT, YOU'RE THE REASON IT'S HAPPENING! I CAN'T EVEN LEAVE MY ROOM, WITHOUT PONIES WHISPERING ABOUT ME!" Bage pulled himself out of the wall, finally getting a good look at her expression. Sunset was practically engulfed in flames, her eyes were glowing white, and her teeth bared. His eyes went wide, and his only thought was 'Crap'. She stomped forward, and pinned him against the wall by the throat, the flames covering her body burning his throat. "EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR HAS BEEN YOUR FAULT! THIS INVASION, THE LOCKDOWN, EVERYTHING!" She threw him away from her, and he crashed into a stallions cabbage cart.
'Ok, she's really fuckin pissed. Where did she even get this much power form, anyway?' Bage thought to himself as he tried to come up with plan. He dodged out of the way of a kick, and met a ki blast to the face. 'Ah, damnit! She's obviously got speed on her side, but she's also furious. That should make her sloppy, but then again her default emotion lately has been anger, so maybe not.' He jumped back to avoid another kick, and barely managed to avoid a ki blast, which blew up a newspaper stand, sending the poor stand owner running for his life. 'Fuck, I have to end this soon or she's gonna reduce Canterlot to a smoldering fire pit!' He caught a punch thrown his way, and grabbed Sunset's other hoof as she went for another punch. "Sunset, calm down! You're gonna start killing ponies if you keep this up! I'm sorry about the rumors, but I've been doing my best to try and stop them! Now just stop throwing a fit and KRGH-" Sunset's back hooves came up and bucked him in the face, breaking his nose and sending blood pouring down his face and dribbling onto his armor.
"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! DO YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I'VE HAD A ONE ON ONE LESSON WITH CELESTIA SINCE YOU GOT HERE?! ZERO! AT LEAST WHEN IT WAS JUST TWILIGHT I COULD GET MAYBE TWO LESSONS A WEEK, BUT NOW I RARELY SO MUCH AS SEE HER! I WAS HER PERSONAL STUDENT BEFORE TWILIGHT, AND NOW THAT TITLE DOESN'T MEAN SHIT TO ANYPONY! CELESTIA JUST STARTED TEACHING TWILIGHT OUT OF NOWHERE, AND THEN YOU SHOWED UP, AND NOW SHE HAS THREE PERSONAL STUDENTS!" Bage did his best to stop his bleeding nose, as Sunset continued to scream, the flames covering her body growing hotter and beginning to melt the stone beneath her. "I DON'T EVEN MEAN ANYTHING TO HER ANYMORE, AND THEN THE THING I'VE BEEN WORKING MY ENTIRE LIFE TOWARDS, GETS GRANTED TO SOME NOPONY PEGASUS FROM SOME BACKWATER TOWN IN NOWHERE EQUESTRIA, AND I'M THROWN TO THE WAYSIDE LIKE A FORGOTTEN FUCKING TOY!"
Bage took this all in, and realized that in his entire time in Canterlot, he had seen Celestia talk to Sunset maybe once. No wonder she was pissed, she really had been playing second fiddle to him and Twilight. To top it all off, these rumors had pretty much dragged her name through the mud, and it was his fault. 'Huh, guess those friendship lessons are gonna come into play after all.' He looked up at her, just as a hoof came flying into his face, clocking him in the jaw and knocking him backwards.
"SO DON'T TRY AND TELL ME TO 'CALM DOWN', I'M GOING TO SHOW EVERYONE THAT I'M STILL ON TOP, AND NO ONE, NOT YOU OR CELSTIA OR CADANCE OR EVEN TWILIGHT CAN MATCH UP TO ME!" Sunset started to charge a giant ball of energy, holding it over her head.
Bage stared up in horror as a memory flashed through his mind, of a massive ball of energy crashed into his planet, and the resulting destruction. "Sunset, stop! This isn't going to fix anything, you're gonna destroy the whole city!" Sunset didn't respond, continuing to pump more ki into the ball, as it grew to nearly double the size. 'I can't talk her down, she isn't thinking straight! Sorry Celestia, but I'm going to have to settle this the saiyan way.' Bage unhooked his weighted chestplate, tossing it to the ground and powering up.
He placed his hands together, palms facing outward, as he started to charge his own ki. "Sorry about this Sunset, but you aren't giving me much leeway here." Just as Sunset threw the ki ball, he fired his own attack at it. "VEXATION CANNON!" A beam of energy shot out and held the ball in place, as the whole city shook from the power struggle. "SUNSET, PLEASE! STOP THIS, AND JUST TALK TO ME!" Bage shouted, trying to snap her out of her enraged state. Sunset shrieked in frustration and shot more ki into the ball, pushing his attack back. He grit his teeth, trying to hold the attack at bay, but even without his weighted gear, he wasn't able to push it back. 'Is she really so pissed off that she doesn't care what happens to Canterlot?! I can't, hold it back, much longer!' Sunset's attack was getting bigger and bigger, now nearly dwarfing the castle. Loose stones and debris were being pulled towards the ki ball, disintegrating upon contact. He felt someone behind him and risked a look. "CELESTIA? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?" He shouted over the rumbling of the city. Celestia didn't answer, simply flaring her wings out and charging her horn. He noticed the sun move across the sky, settling right over head. High noon, the height of Celestias power.
"SUNSET, THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DESTROY CANTERLOT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE UPSET!" The Royal Canterlot Voice dwarfed the intense cacophony of noise, and Sunset grunted in surprise. Celestia fired a beam at the ki ball, nearly rivaling Bages own, and the attack was finally pushed back. Sunset struggled to regain her edge, but the combined beam was too much. The ball shattered as the beams shot upward, barely missing Sunset as she moved out of the way. Bage took the opportunity to fly up and fire a few ki rings that wrapped around Sunset's horn, hooves, and barrel, restraining her. He grabbed her, and flew down to the ground, keeping her held tightly as she struggled. She tried to get away as Celestia lit her horn, and touched it Sunset's forhead, putting her to sleep and quenching the flames that enveloped her.
"Is she..?" Bage started to ask, and Celestia nodded.
"She is merely in a magic induced sleep. She will awaken in time. For now, though, it is best if we let her cool down. You and I need to have a discussion." Celestia teleported the three of them to her private chambers, and Bage laid Sunset down on the bed. "First, I appreciate your attempt to minimize the damage, however little it mattered toward the end of that. However, that does not change the fact the she nearly destroyed Canterlot, and killed nearly everypony in the city. If I hadn't helped when I did, things could have taken a very dark turn." Bage looked down, his nose still throbbing.
"I've tried to get her to reign in her anger issues, but she always shrugs me off. This whole mess with Blueblood spreading rumors is probably what pushed her over the edge." Bage reset his nose with a wet crck and a wince. Celestia looked over at Sunset, noting her peaceful expression despite the tragedy she nearly caused.
"I'm aware of those rumors, and I was hoping to talk to you about that. I assume there are no such feelings between the two of you?" Celestia glanced at him, and he shook his head.
"Believe me, no, I don't see her that way. She isn't even a saiyan, so it wouldn't work anyway." Celestia raised an eyebrow at this.
"Interesting, so you're not concerned with relationships unless your partner is of the same species?"
"Well, yeah. If you can't have a kid, what's the point?" Bage shrugged his shoulders.
"Your stance on the matter is purely of a need to produce offspring? That's a rather dour look on the matter. How do saiyans find companionship?" Celestia asked.
"Well, usually it's started by a female saiyan, typically one that has a high power level. She singles out a male saiyan, and challenges him to a fight. If she wins, she finds another saiyan to challenge until she finds one that can beat her. If she loses, she declares that saiyan her mate, since he could provide a strong saiyan child that will grow up to be a proud warrior. Other than that there isn't really any, courting. It's mostly strength that denotes good genes." Bage explained, picking at the blood that was now dried on his face.
"I see, so you would choose Sunset as a potential mate if she were a saiyan, since you beat her, right?" Bage frowned, shaking his head.
"Look, I get what you're saying, but I was never really interested in that sort of thing. Especially not now, since there wouldn't be much of a point. Sunset and I don't click that way. That's mostly why I was about to shove Bluebloods horn up his-" Celestia cleared her throat to stop him.
"I understand, Bage. I merely asked as Sunset's guardian. I wouldn't be a very good one if I wasn't worried about whether or not she was trying to date. If there is no such connection between you two, then I won't bring it up again. Sunset was never interested in such matters either, despite my urgings otherwise. I figured if she found someone that shared her fiery attitude, she would learn to direct her rage elsewhere." Bage narrowed his eyes at that.
"Wait, so this entire time, you were trying to set us up? Not cool Celestia, that's just... creepy." Bage turned a little green as a result, and Celestia just smiled.
"That was never my intention. I merely wanted Sunset to finally make a friend, instead of sheltering herself away in her room, and ignoring the world. Twilight is much the same way, something I hope to change in the future. Regardless, you've done much in the way of helping Sunset break out of her introverted ways, so I'm grateful."
"Yeah, sure. This probably would've never happened if she hadn't tossed me out a window, but glad I could help, I guess." Bage turned and walked out of the room, as Celestia looked towards Sunset's sleeping form. Then she registered what he said and jerked her head toward him.
"Wait, she did what?"
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The damage done to Canterlot was severe, nearly every window had shattered, and most of the buildings had either collapsed inward, or been violently ripped apart by the power struggle. Bage flew over the city, seeing the destruction Sunset had caused, all because she had been mad at him. 'What if Celestia hadn't shown up? Or if her power hadn't been enough to stop Sunset?' Things could've gone a lot worse, and he wasn't sure if Sunset could tap into that power again.
He was nearly powerless against her, even when he was pushing himself to his limit. He looked around the city, watching as cleanup crews were already working to clear away debris. 'I helped cause this. I'm just as responsible as Sunset. Ponies could've died, all because I couldn't talk her down. If I don't help her get her anger under control, this could happen again.' Bage touched down at the spot where he'd been before, and noticed that the weighted gear had melted into uselessness. 'That heat was so intense that it was able to melt lead. Just how much power has Sunset been holding back? And what will happen if she snaps again?' Bage stood there, his mind racing with conflicted thoughts. Wondering if Sunset would've cared, if she had actually killed someone.
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Queen Chrysalis watched with a look comprised of a mix of horror, and awe, at the sheer power displayed by Celestia's student. She was incredibly lucky a few of her changelings were still alive in Canterlot. "This is what that mare is capable of? There was enough power in that blast to turn a forest into glass, yet Celestia and Bage were able to overcome it!" She sent a quick probe through the hivemind, asking all her warriors how their training was going.
She received a large amount of responses back, most of which were positive. "Good, my army is nearly ready. A few more days and the invasion can commence. Although, perhaps my own training is rather lacking. I'll have to have some of the more well-trained warriors to help me reach the level necessary to stand up to Bage. I refuse to be bested by him, or Sunset Shimmer. Their power is becoming worrisome, this invasion hinges on their defeat." She wouldn't let herself fail, not with such dire stakes. She couldn't fail, or her hive was doomed either way.
Bage Power level: 25,000
Sunset (Rage Flare) Power Level: 26,500