The Pieces Lie Where They Fell

by Evilhumour

Chapter Eight: Night Blade, Page Turner

Chapter Eight

Night Blade

Waking up in a police jail cell was not an experience Night Blade had thought he would ever experience, especially with it being his first official night out with Page Turner and the actual first time they had spent the entire night together that carried over to the next day.

Still, he saw that Page Turner was already awake and as always, cheerful as she beamed a smile at him. “Morning Nighty,” she said, walking over to nuzzle him as the rest the...people, as that was the proper term for a group of different species as he learned from his tutors and the librarians were, were starting to wake up.

“Good morning Page,” he nuzzled her back, ignoring the giggling from the minotaur. Turning to face them properly, he said, “And good morning to you all.”

“Eh, not the best of mornings Nighty, but it’s better then others I’ve had,” the minotaur, Vixen Lee or something like that said at him with a grin on her face, looking at everyone in the small cell. “What about you guys?”

“First time in custody, Vix-Lei,” the diamond dog replied curtly, reflecting his opinion on the rude ‘taur.

“One would have to get caught first,” Xvital replied with a smirk, causing him and the griffon to laugh.

“Eh, I’ve spent some time in a few cells to sober up,” the griffon replied with a shrug. “I’m guessing you never did something naughty, eh Night?”

“It’s not something I’ve been inclined to do,” Night answered back, shaking his wings. “As getting involved negatively with the police doesn't seem that smart to me.”

“I’ve spent far too much in the Grand library to be in trouble,” Page Turner rounded it off, sitting down next to him.

“Well, with all that sharing done, don’t you think we should we see about checking out?” Xvital piped up, looking around as she stretched her arms.

“That does sound fine to me,” Night said with a faint smile on his face, although there seemed to be something he was forgetting.

“Cool, can’t wait to see your digs,” Vix-Le said with a wide smile, leaning back against the wall as the blood drained from his face. He had forgotten that he was suppose to meet Father and Mother last night and he was supposed to be with them when they were at the noble Honour Festival party. Explaining things would not be easy, nor would introducing Page Turner in such a manner go as easy as he had hoped.

---

Stepping out into the early morning day, Night Blade looked at his wards, for the lack of a better word, with a sigh. He had wanted to leave as soon as he had Determined Point back, but it had taken Rex the diamond dog some time to get his potions back as he was some sort of alchemist.

Lucky, all of them had proper papers, even Vix-Lei for her hammer which surprised them greatly considering how the minotaur acted normally, so it did not take them until afternoon to leave.

Still, they were only his issue until next week and then he wouldn’t have to see them ever again, save Page Turner of course.

For now, he had make sure they stayed in place until they met the judge.

“So what’s your place like, Nighty?” Vix-Lei asked, twirling the faux hammer around in controlled turns.

“First off, it is Night Blade, not Nighty,” Night snapped off, shooting her a pointed look. “Secondly, my ‘place’ is Blade manor and I’m fairly sure Clean Home can find you some spare rooms that my family is not using anymore.”

“Wait, you still live at home with mom and dad?” Wind Breaker snickered to himself. “You’re like what, twenty four?”

“And what of it?” Night fired back. “I have a place where I belong, is that so wrong?”

The griffon seemed to take offense to that, glaring darkly at him.

All of a sudden, he heard some giggling behind him and saw Vix-Lei sharing a laugh with Page and Xvital over something, with the unicorn giving him a weak smile before breaking into laughter again.

“It’s par for the course, ladies, as it is hardwired in all male individuals,” Rex replied with a smirk on his face. “And I was not eavesdropping, I just have rather sharp ears.”

“Right…” Night mumbled to himself as he continued to lead them on the familiar pathway to his home. “This way; we’re nearly there.”

“Uh, Night, are you okay?” Page asked, moving to join him at the head of the pack.

“Yes, why?” He turned to face the mare he knew since he was only ten.

“Because your home is other way,” she said, causing NIght to pull back in surprise. Looking around, he saw that the streets he was leading down were not the ones he thought he had been on moments ago.

“How odd,” Night muttered, looking to the road on the right. It would be a short cut, of shorts, the easiest way of getting home behind turning around. “This way then.”

He was almost across the threshold when he felt a massive pressure grab him and yank him backwards. He was about to tell the person off when there was a massive crash in front of him. Looking ahead, he saw that a team of fliers had had their cargo fall apart and crash where he and Page had almost passed.

Looking back, he saw that Vix-Lei had pulled them back, giving them a concerned look. “You two okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” Page answered with Night watching ponies drop what they were doing and race over to help. This, however, had the unfortunate consequence of blocking off the other street end, save for the one directly opposite of him which would be the longest way home. “Are you alright Night?”

“Yes I am,” he replied, getting to his hooves and sparing a brief look at the blocked way he had tried to go down before heading off in the only clear way.

Walking down to the next intersection, he frowned again as one way was blocked due to construction and the other way had been closed off for the Honour Festival, with the only clear one taking him further north and away from his home.

When they reached the next intersection, only to see a market street had taken up two of the three possible roadways, Vix-Lei had apparently had enough.

“Okay, anyone else seeing a pattern here?” she asked, tilting her head as she stood high on her hooves and peered over the crowd. “I think that something wants us to go a certain way.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Night lectured her, shaking his head. “I highly doubt that fa-what are you doing?”

Watching the minotaur walk off to a Manechurian vendor, she picked up a fortune cookie and cracked it open.

“‘When all paths are closed off to you, leave it to fate to show you the way forwards’,” she read, handing the paper over to him..

“That’s just a coincidence,” Night began to protest when Wind Breaker reached for his own cookie.

“‘There are a numerous ways to carry out a cause and with fate directing your forwards, you will always end up on the correct path,’” Wind Breaker said with a faint smirk on his face.

“While I’m not too fond of trusting things that go against the scientific method, I can see something acting to guide us somewhere and I’d rather not see what occurs if we fight against such a force,” Rex replied, taking a bowl of food and started to dine with Xvital joining him.

Rolling his eyes, Night found himself in agreement with what the diamond dog said as well as their decision to have an impromptu breakfast.

Sitting down with Page Turner next to him happily pouring hot sauce on her plate, he reached for a plate of his own when it dawned on him that he would more than likely end up hoofing the bill! Damn freeloaders!

Page Turner

She chuckled to herself, licking a noodle off of Night’s face before standing upright and eyed the road where fate seemed to want them to go. She had heard stories, of course, where fate had put several ponies on a path for greatness, but they were just stories. Made up or based on events so far in the past that they were blown out of proportion.

Still after being directed around like that with the streets blocked off and those cookies telling them the same thing, she wasn’t too inclined to go against the flow, not with what her cookie had said.

Eating the cookie and paper without anyone noticing her, Page joined Vix-Lei and Xvital while Night began to pay for the bill while Wind Breaker was eyeing some Neighponese sake bottles and Rex seemed to be talking with some ponies about a blend of their smoke, taking notes in a battered up notebook that she was doing her best not to call dogeared.

“Rex, Wind, I think Night is done,” she called out to the two wandering males, bringing them back to their group as Night finished paying for this nice breakfast out. “Shall we continue?”

With everyone agreeing, Page found herself leading them forwards, trusting her instincts to guide her wherever fate wanted them to go.

With all the twists and turns, Page was still able to place herself and realized that she was being directed towards the old Museum of Victory.

Why in Equestria anyone would want them in that rundown old building was beyond her, what with all the actual artifacts being moved away to the proper new one years ago...

Still, she led on, finally reaching the old building with a tilt of her head, the rest of them following behind her.

“So this is the place we’re suppose to head to?” Wind asked, walking to the front door and tried to open it. The door creaked open easily enough, with lights on in the old building. “Well, when in Roam.”

Holding the door open for them to go inside, Page was last to step towards the door when she heard somepony whispering at her.

Turning her head, Page saw the same changeling from last night peering from the edge of an alleyway, trying to get her attention.

She thought somepony had been following them. Trotting over to the nymph, she could see the poor ’ling had been crying.

“Thank you, ma’am,” the nymph beamed a grateful smile at her, holding a young changeling close to her chest. “I hadn’t meant to be caught outside and I was so terrified what that brute would have done to me and that I’d be unable to care for my son and thank you for risking your own life to help me and-”

“It’s okay,” Page hushed the nymph as she was close to blubbering. “I just couldn’t let what I saw go and I had to do something.” Page ran a hoof along the nymph’s side to comfort her. “Just take your foal and get somewhere safe, alright?”

Nodding her head in agreement, the nymph flashed her another relieve full smile. “Thank you for your endless kindness,” she said, bowing her head which caused the foal to be moved near Page’s face.

Acting on instinct, she leaned down to place a kiss on the foal’s head. “It was nothing; now you sh-” she began to trail off, the world starting to get fuzzy.

She could hear ponies calling out for her and saw that the nymph had vanished. Closing her eyes for a second, when she opened them she saw that she was in a very different place.

Comments

[Copper Springs]

Well Page Turner is the Element of Kindness. Which means Rex has to be the Element of Magic. Which Vix-Lei being the Element of Laughter. That three down. I want to Night Blade is Loayalty (he's loyal to Page Turner at least), Xvital is generosity (she jumped in to help with the changeling incident even though she knew it would cause her trouble), which would leave Wind Breaker as honesty. Those are just my guesses though, and my reasoning behind those guesses.
I'm pretty sure that what ever is leading them to that museum is doing so because the Elements of Harmony are there. If that is the case I just have this to say: How do you move every significant artifact related to the Virtues, aka the mane six, EXCEPT for the Elements of Harmony?!?
Also I really want to know what Page Turners fortune cookie said. Probably something dark and foreboding.

[Somethingfromsomewhere]

"“Okay, anyone else seeing a pattern here?” she asked, tilting her head as she stood high on her hooves and peered over the crowd. “I think that something wants us to go a certain way.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Night lectured her, shaking his head. “I highly doubt that fa-what are you doing?”

Watching the minotaur walk off to a Manechurian vendor, she picked up a fortune cookie and cracked it open.

“‘When all paths are closed off to you, leave it to fate to show you the way forwards’,” she read, handing the paper over to him..

“That’s just a coincidence,” Night began to protest when Wind Breaker reached for his own cookie.

“‘There are a numerous ways to carry out a cause and with fate directing your forwards, you will always end up on the correct path,’” Wind Breaker said with a faint smirk on his face.

“While I’m not too fond of trusting things that go against the scientific method, I can see something acting to guide us somewhere and I’d rather not see what occurs if we fight against such a force,” Rex replied, taking a bowl of food and started to dine with Xvital joining him."

Is this what D&D Railroading looks like from the perspective of the characters?

[Evilhumour]

11112062
Pretty much